The 1952 Presidential Campaign Staff primarily included members of Stevenson's Illinois gubernatorial staff, including William McC. Blair, Jr., Wilson Wyatt, Carl McGowan, Newton Minow, Carol Evans, and Clayton Fritchey, all of whom undertook additional duties after his nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate. Others involved with the campaign were long-time associates of Stevenson, including Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Ernest Ives, and Elizabeth Ives. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by staff member's last name, and alphabetically by the last name of the correspondent within each file. Much of this correspondence is from the general public regarding campaign issues, speeches, campaign suggestions, and offers of support. Some of the correspondence is interoffice communication that deals with such administrative matters as reporting contributions, referrals of key contact people, and more mundane subjects, such as renting office furniture. In the correspondence, as well as in the papers in general, the lack of organizational planning is evident, as there is no clear division of duties among the staff.

Subject correspondence is arranged alphabetically by the issue and includes correspondence pertaining to Stevenson's Alger Hiss deposition, comments on Stevenson's speeches, and a large amount of correspondence regarding political contributions, particularly the Stevenson Fund and Richard M. Nixon's "Checkers" speech. In 1949, when Hiss was on trial for perjury, Stevenson served as a character witness for him, based on his acquaintanceship with Hiss in Washington during the 1930s and 1940s. Asked what Hiss's reputation for honesty was at that time, Stevenson replied "good." This deposition was offered as proof of Stevenson's softness on Communism. Correspondents both condemned Stevenson for his leniency and praised him for his honesty. Most often, they simply asked for clarification of his position.

Political contributions became another significant campaign issue after it was revealed that Republican vice-presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon had accepted $18,000 in private contributions from wealthy Californians while serving as Senator. Nixon defended himself in late September in his so-called "Checkers" speech, in which he admitted that one contribution he refused to give up was his daughters' dog, Checkers. Shortly thereafter, Stevenson was questioned about the Stevenson Fund, composed of leftover gubernatorial campaign funds and additional contributions. The Stevenson Fund, amounting to approximately $80,000, was used primarily to increase the salaries of underpaid state employees, many of whom had sacrificed more lucrative positions in order to work in Stevenson's administration. Queries and comments from prospective supporters were answered by form letter. A sample form letter is included at the front of the first folder; others were discarded.

The reports reflect data-gathering on the part of staff members and volunteers, including media reports listing pro-Stevenson newspapers and tracking favorable editorials. State reports, used for preparation of speeches and campaign visits and arranged alphabetically by state, provide background information, such as local issues, politicians, demographics, key contact people, and voting records.

The speeches are arranged alphabetically by the last name of the person giving the speech and include those given on Stevenson's behalf by staff and volunteers, including George Ball, Jane Dick, and Wilson Wyatt, by leading Democrats, such as Harry S. Truman, Maury Maverick, Estes Kefauver, and Stevenson's running mate, John Sparkman, and general speeches, presumably gathered for reference purposes. Copies of "sample" speeches sent to state organizations for local supporters to use as a guideline in preparing their own speeches are included, as are copies of Eisenhower's campaign speeches.

The correspondence in the Volunteers for Stevenson records is similar in scope to that of the staff. Correspondence with the state and local committees is arranged chronologically and documents the referral of volunteers to local groups, reports of local activities, and suggestions. The financial materials are arranged with general financial materials first, followed by records of contributions. The general financial materials include summary reports prepared for the Senate and House of Representatives in accordance with the Federal Corrupt Practices Act of 1925, filed under receipts and disbursements. In addition to correspondence with donors, the contribution materials include fundraising information for specific drives, such as the Radio/TV Fund, New York Post Trust Funds, and fundraising events. The state financial files document the transfer of funds from state and local committees to the national committee.

Public relations material, arranged alphabetically, includes the correspondence of Porter McKeever, publicity director, and Robert Hind, assistant publicity director, regarding the placement of advertisements, offers of volunteer assistance, suggestions, and the organization of special committees. Press releases, newsletters, and state files containing advance materials are also included.

The reports include a master plan for managing the campaign, prepared by Edward L. Bernays, as well as post-election voting analyses and reports of the organization of local committees and an analysis of their effectiveness. Volunteers for Stevenson mobilized various groups of people to generate additional support for Stevenson among special interest groups, including minorities, labor representatives, lawyers, business leaders and doctors. The National Advisory Committee for Stevenson, an honorary group of prominent individuals, was also organized. The organization of the special groups is documented through lists of individuals recruited, telegrams of acceptance and refusal, and notes of organization. Papers documenting the Springfield Conference, held in early October for leaders of Volunteers for Stevenson groups throughout the country to coordinate the work of the committees for the last month of the campaign, include schedules, planning materials, and lists of attendees.