The Bibliographies subseries contains four bibliographies of Kennan's works from 1938 to 1995, which provide lists of Kennan's published and unpublished writings. The types of writings represented include addresses, articles, books and published book excerpts, book reviews, Congressional testimony, government reports, letters to the editor, lectures, interviews, and contributions to the works of others.

The Books subseries is composed of materials related to 24 titles written by Kennan, with much of the material related to his Memoirs (1967, 1972), The Fateful Alliance (1984) and Sketches From a Life (1989), as well as Democracy and the Student Left (1968), The Marquis de Custine and His Russia in 1839 (1971), and Around the Cragged Hill (1993). The subseries includes drafts and printer proofs, correspondence with readers and with the publishers, reviews and publicity materials, papers regarding the production of foreign editions, and papers related to obtaining permissions and other publishing logistics. Due to the importance of Kennan's writing to his career, we have retained all drafts of his works, despite the overlap and duplication this entails.

The Diaries subseries contains Kennan's diaries from 1924 to 2004. In the diaries, Kennan recorded who he was meeting, with brief descriptions of the subject of the conversations, and his professional and personal appointments. The earlier diaries, from the period when he was in the diplomatic service, contain his impressions of the countries and the issues they faced. The diaries from his scholarly career include discussions of his research projects and his travels to speak or related to his books, and in later years also include information on his travels with his family, his opinions on public policy matters, and his health.

The Published Works subseries contains copies of published materials by Kennan, including articles in scholarly journals, popular magazines and newspapers (notably The New York Times), and addresses and lectures at universities, scholarly organizations, and civic or religious groups. Also included are Congressional testimony on issues related to foreign affairs, book reviews, prefaces and other contributions to works by other authors, and television and radio interviews. In addition, materials for some titles include drafts, copies of reviews of the work, or correspondence from readers or audience members. The most common subject of these writings is Russian history and foreign relations, as well as analysis of current Soviet policies, critical analysis of American foreign policy, and international relations in general, often with a focus on East-West relations or reducing tension in the relations between nations. Other significant topics include the effectiveness of the U.S. Foreign Service and his experiences in the Foreign Service, the Vietnam War, U.S.-Yugoslavia relations during the period in the 1960s when he was the U.S. ambassador, criticism of nuclear weapons and the arms race, and the relationship between Christianity and morality and foreign policy.

The Unpublished Works subseries is composed of drafts and notes for writings which Kennan did not publish, including lectures, addresses, articles, essays, and television and radio interviews. Significant subjects include Russian history and diplomacy, United States foreign policy, the international situation at various points in history, the fields of diplomacy and politics, the Cold War (especially its origins), and Yugoslavia from the period when he was U.S. ambassador.