The notebooks from Oberdorfer's journalism career are especially significant for their detailed notes and commentary on his travels abroad. The notebooks chronicle his many trips with Secretary of State George P. Shultz to Asia from 1983-1988; to the Middle East in 1983 and 1987; to the Soviet Union in 1987; and to other locations. Oberdorfer's trip with Secretary of State James Baker to Asia in November 1991 is also included. Additional travels documented in the notebooks include, but are not limited to, Oberdorfer's trips to the Soviet Union in 1978, January 1984, and April 1987; to Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras in 1982; to Germany in 1983; and to the Middle East in 1985. He also made a number of trips to Korea, Japan, and China from 1987-1991. Oberdorfer's additional travels to Korea, Japan, and China after his retirement and his attendance at a variety of domestic and international conferences, mostly on the governments of Asia or on the Cold War, are also documented.

Some of the most prevalent topics in Oberdorfer's other writings are the political climates in Asia (particularly North and South Korea and Japan); U.S. foreign relations under the Ronald Reagan administration, especially during the tenure of Secretary of State Shultz; and Senator Mike Mansfield (1903-2001), the subject of Oberdorfer's 2003 biography. To a lesser extent, there are materials pertaining to Oberdorfer's affiliations with Princeton University and profiles on foreign political leaders. Of particular note are the typescript drafts of Oberdorfer's unpublished autobiography "Beyond the First Taxi Zone: Adventures of a Cold War Correspondent," which include excerpts from his notebooks. Other files throughout the series also contain excerpts from the notebooks and/or appear to have been created as part of Oberdorfer's research for his autobiography.