Brookings scholar Stephen Hess didn't plan to start working in Eisenhower's White House at age 25—he began his career at the heart of American politics quite by accident. Hosted by Katie Dunn Tenpas, Hess shares some of his favorite stories from 60 years as a presidential staffer, advisor, and scholar in Washington, D.C.

Stay tuned for the full show drop on December 14!

In this first episode of Quite By Accident, 25-year-old Steve Hess, fresh out of U.S. Army service in Germany, lands a job in Eisenhower’s White House. Host Katie Dunn Tenpas finds out how that happened and gets a ground-level tour of the White House in the late 1950s.

Show notes and transcript.

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Learn about other Brookings podcasts from the Brookings Podcast Network.

In episode 2 of Quite By Accident, Steve Hess recounts some of the lines he wrote for President Eisenhower’s speeches, including a word he made up that the president used. Host Katie Dunn Tenpas also asks about Eisenhower’s most famous line: the military-industrial complex.

Show notes and transcript.

Listen to Quite By Accident on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you like to get podcasts.

Learn about other Brookings podcasts from the Brookings Podcast Network.

In episode 3 of Quite By Accident, Steve Hess, a young staffer in Eisenhower’s administration, shares stories of feeling surprised to attend State Dinners and other formal White House functions. Host Katie Dunn Tenpas also asks Steve to reflect on Eisenhower’s leadership and the end of his administration in 1961.

Show notes and transcript.

Listen to Quite By Accident on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you like to get podcasts.

Learn about other Brookings podcasts from the Brookings Podcast Network.

In episode 4 of Quite By Accident, Steve Hess explains how he entered the orbit of Richard Nixon, the former vice president. Host Katie Dunn Tenpas hears from Steve on his role in the 1960 presidential campaign, learns what Steve did on Nixon’s 1962 California gubernatorial campaign, and finds out what both Nixon and Hess were doing on that fateful day in Dallas, November 22, 1963.

Show notes and transcript.

Listen to Quite By Accident on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you like to get podcasts.

Learn about other Brookings podcasts from the Brookings Podcast Network.

In episode 5 of Quite By Accident, Steve Hess shares with host Katie Dunn Tenpas his feelings on his close friendship with Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Steve also recounts how, through a series of fortunate connections, he got a job in Nixon’s White House, what he did there, and his thoughts about Nixon and Watergate.

Show notes and transcript.

Listen to Quite By Accident on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you like to get podcasts.

Learn about other Brookings podcasts from the Brookings Podcast Network.

In this sixth and final episode of Quite By Accident, Steve Hess shares stories with host Katie Dunn Tenpas about how he came to Brookings, what he did for Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, how he met Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and more. He ends with reflections on today’s politics, the role of luck in a person’s life, and his hopes for the country.

Show notes and transcript.

Listen to Quite By Accident on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you like to get podcasts.

Learn about other Brookings podcasts from the Brookings Podcast Network.