The National Cold War Center in Blytheville announced that Mike Pompeo, former secretary of state and former CIA director, has joined the organization as a special adviser.
In his new role, Pompeo will lend his “global experience and insight to advance the Center’s mission of preserving and interpreting the history of the Cold War,” the organization said in a news release. He’ll work closely with the center’s board of directors and national advisory board to guide its strategic direction, fundraising and educational outreach.
Pompeo led the CIA and was America’s top diplomat in President Donald Trump’s first administration.
“The National Cold War Center’s mission of educating Americans on the Cold War and America’s stunning triumph over Soviet tyranny is more important than ever,” Pompeo said in the release. “I’m proud to be part of this important effort to advance the understanding of this critical period in world history.”
The National Cold War Center is located at the former Blytheville Air Force Base. The first exhibit opened in 2020, featuring history, memorabilia, and personal stories from those who served while the base was active from 1942 to 1992.
The base originally housed B-57 bombers, but as the Cold War advanced, it transitioned to a Strategic Air Command facility that controlled most of the U.S. nuclear weapons as well as the aircraft and missiles that delivered those weapons.
Congress in 2023 designated the base as the site of the federal museum of the Cold War. Efforts to construct a museum and restore the base have received millions in state and federal grants.
Christian Ostermann, former director of the History and Public Policy Program at the Wilson Center in Washington D.C., was named executive director of the center in June.
The National Cold War Center projects that more than 50,000 people will visit the museum in its first year, adding significantly to the $156 million spent by visitors to Mississippi County in 2023.
Sign up for Daily E-news
