Paul Brandus Oral History

Object number2023.001.0060

Date09/11/2023

ClassificationsOral Histories

Oral history interview subject Paul Brandus

Oral history interviewer Stephen Fagin

ObjectOral history

Credit LineOral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

MediumBorn Digital (m2ts video)

DimensionsDuration: 57 Minutes

Terms

Collections

All Online Objects
Oral History Collection

DescriptionVideotaped oral history interview with Paul Brandus. An author, columnist and podcaster, Brandus has been a member of the White House Press Corps since 2008. Among his books are "Jackie: Her Transformation from First Lady to Jackie O" (2020) and "Countdown to Dallas" (2023). Interview conducted at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on September 11, 2023 by Stephen Fagin. The interview is fifty-seven minutes long.

Curatorial Commentary

I first met Paul Brandus in 2010 when he visited the Museum as a journalist to cover a significant public program featuring former U.S. Secret Service agents Clint Hill and Gerald Blaine. The day before the program, the Museum arranged for Brandus to conduct an interview with Hill, Blaine, and author Lisa McCubbin (who co-wrote The Kennedy Detail with Blaine in 2010). Even though I had already recorded individual oral histories with each of them, I asked Paul if the Museum could record his session as an official part of our Oral History Project. He readily agreed, and I videotaped the hour-long conversation in our small oral history studio space on November 19, 2010. I've kept in touch with Paul in the years since and was so pleased to record an interview with him (now on the other side of the camera) in 2023. - Stephen Fagin, Curator

Curatorial Commentary

Brandus' robust career includes formerly spending five years in Moscow as a U.S. Embassy staffer and his role as a columnist for Dow Jones/ Market Watch and Washington Bureau Chief of Evergreen Podcasts. He appeared on various television and radio networks as a foreign correspondent, primarily for NBC Radio, and as of late 2025, he is a weekly contributor to Washington's WTOP Radio. Along with his involvement in the White House Press Corps, he has also been a member of the White House Correspondents Association since 2008.

In addition to the two books discussed during the interview, he has authored three works on American and U.S. military history. Inspored by his interest in the Kennedy family, he produced a limited series podcast entitled From First Lady to Jackie O (2021), following the five years between Jackie's role as First Lady to her second marriage. More information on Paul Brandus' career and works can be found on his website here: Paul Brandus | Author, Speaker, Columnist. - Riley Harris, Collections Cataloger