On July 1, 1952, President Harry S. Truman returned to Little Rock for the last time in his presidency. He landed at Adams Field. After a short ride to the Missouri Pacific train station, he boarded a train for Newport where he made remarks. Later that evening, the presidential train arrived at Norfork where Mr. Truman spent the night on the train.
The next morning, he went by car to the Norfork Dam before heading to Bull Shoals Dam where he gave an address. An outdoor luncheon followed the Bull Shoals address. After lunch, he got back on the train. Truman made a whistle stop visit in Batesville before arriving back in Newport. He boarded a plane in Newport and returned to Washington DC.
Congressmen James W. Trimble and Wilbur D. Mills accompanied the President on the entire trip from and to Washington. Governor McMath joined the party once they were in Little Rock. The press corps on the trip included the New York Times, Washington Star, Baltimore Sun, New York Herald-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, Associated Press, CBS Radio, NBC Radio, ABC Radio and NBC Television. The local press included reporters and photographers from both the Arkansas Gazette and the Arkansas Democrat as well as KLRA Radio and the Memphis Commercial-Appeal.