The collection is mostly composed of Oberdorfer's notebooks that chronicle his assignments with the Washington Post and his work post-retirement. Especially noteworthy are Oberdorfer's notes and insights into his overseas travels as the Post's diplomatic correspondent, including his many trips with Secretary of State George P. Shultz. The notebooks also document Oberdorfer's continued interest in foreign affairs after his retirement, particularly in Asia.

Additionally, the collection contains transcripts of interviews conducted by Oberdorfer with both Soviet and American foreign policy officials about events occurring between 1983 and 1990, as well as records detailing those events. Topics discussed include the four summit meetings between President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev (Geneva in 1985, Reykjavik in 1986, Washington in 1987, and Moscow in 1988); the downing of Korean Airlines passenger jet KAL 007; the zero ballistic missiles option raised at Reykjavik; the Strategic Defense Initiative and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty's reinterpretation in connection with it; the Daniloff spy-swap affair; diplomatic missions of George Shultz and Andrei Gromyko; and the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). The interviews also detail American and Soviet foreign policy administration and personalities, including Gorbachev's predecessors, Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko.

Also included in the collection are typescript drafts of Oberdorfer's unpublished autobiography "Beyond the First Taxi Zone: Adventures of a Cold War Correspondent," which include excerpts from Oberdorfer's notebooks. Oberdorfer's general files of research materials and writings, often compiled in the course of conducting research for his autobiography, also contain excerpts from the notebooks. These files mostly relate to the political climate in Japan and Korea or to U.S. foreign relations under the Ronald Reagan administration. Other files pertain to Oberdorfer's biography of Senator Mike Mansfield.