Dialogue with Jim Guy Tucker

Jim Guy Tucker served as a U.S. representative from the 2^nd Congressional District of Arkansas from 1977 to 1979. During his term, Tucker ran his own television and radio program, “Dialogue with Jim Guy Tucker.” The program aired on Arkansas stations, including AETN, KTHV, and KARK.

Although only a first-year representative, Tucker recruited high-profile federal officials and members of President Jimmy Carter’s cabinet for his show. Guests included the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, and the Chief Energy Adviser. Tucker also included other Arkansas politicians on the show, including Dale Bumpers and Ray Thornton.

National Politics in Arkansas

Tucker used his show to investigate how national policies and legislation affected Arkansas. In his interview with Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, Tucker spoke about Arkansas’s interest in the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks with the Soviet Union.

“Arkansas is probably a priority target for the Soviet Union or any enemy of the United States,” Tucker said. At the time, the 2^nd District of Arkansas possessed 18 of the nation’s 54 TITAN II missiles. These missiles were intercontinental and could carry nuclear weapons, which made Arkansas a strategic target should a war erupt. (In 1980, one such missile exploded at a facility north of Damascus, Arkansas, destroying the complex.)

Arkansas in National Politics

Tucker also brought national attention to Arkansas’s policies and programs. Secretary Joseph A. Califano of the Health, Education, and Welfare Department praised Arkansas’s childhood immunization program, which Betty Bumpers spearheaded. “We are literally looking at the Arkansas immunization program right now to see if we can’t model a national volunteer immunization program off of that,” Califano said.

Tucker encouraged Arkansans to express their opinions to his show by writing or calling his office. In his preface, Tucker emphasized, “To do a good job in the United States Congress, it’s essential that I hear your ideas...While I’m in Washington, you can help me stay in touch with Arkansas.”

Researchers can find transcripts and audiovisual recordings of “Dialogue with Jim Guy Tucker” in his papers at the UALR Center for Arkansas History and Culture.

“Dialogue with Jim Guy Tucker” episodes within collection: