Every presidential visit, speech and photo opportunity rests on the work of a team most Americans never see. Jean Becker and Tom Collamore pulled back that curtain at the Nixon Library with a talk on their book, Don’t Tell the President: The Best, Worst, and Mostly Untold Stories from Presidential Advance.

The story of modern presidential advance begins with President Richard Nixon. He and White House Chief of Staff Bob Haldeman tasked campaign aide Ron Walker with writing a manual and launching the White House Advance Office. Among Walker’s accomplishments was leading the advance work for Nixon’s historic 1972 trip to China.

Collamore noted that advance teams from both political parties still use Walker’s manual today. “The book wouldn’t have happened without the work Ron Walker did,” he said.

Advance staff handle both the logistics and the substance of an event. They are trained to meet the moment, giving the president the setting to do the job without distraction, even in a crisis. As the authors put it, advance people are out of sight and out of mind, but nothing happens without them.

The book draws on 96 contributors, many of them names readers may not recognize, behind some of history’s most iconic moments. Their stories pair humor with rare glimpses behind the scenes. Among the lighter moments: Sen. Bob Dole photographed alongside Woody Woodpecker, and President George H.W. Bush towering over Queen Elizabeth II.

Other stories carry historic weight. President Ronald Reagan’s “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” was delivered in front of the Berlin Wall because of presidential advance. At Nixon’s 1973 dinner honoring returning prisoners of war, Irving Berlin gave an emotional performance of “God Bless America.”

A chapter titled “Advancing History” addresses the most serious moments, including President Barack Obama preparing to speak after the Sandy Hook shooting and President George W. Bush on Sept. 11.

Becker served as chief of staff to Bush for nearly 25 years. She edited Barbara Bush’s Pearls of Wisdom and wrote the New York Times bestseller The Man I Knew: The Amazing Story of George H.W. Bush’s Post-Presidency and Character Matters … And Other Life Lessons from George H.W. Bush.

Collamore first met Bush in 1978 as his driver and became part of his inner circle. He served in various roles during the 12 years of the Reagan and Bush administrations and has advised the George and Barbara Bush Foundation for more than 30 years.

Watch the full conversation: