Material in the two series includes correspondence, memoranda, telegrams, reports, legal briefs and pleadings, testimony, press releases, publications, and magazine and newspaper clippings. Series 1, Irving Ferman Records, contains more administrative documents than does Series 2, Lawrence Speiser Records, which consists largely of case files. Speiser's records also contain files that pre-date his position as director of the Washington, D.C. Office.

Both series contain similar headings and subheadings. For example, in each series the censorship heading has subheadings for "Books" (which includes books, magazines, journals and newspapers), "Radio/TV" (including licensing as well as programming restrictions), and "Post Office," while in each series the "Federal Agencies" heading is subdivided by executive office department, and the "Court Proceedings" headings document due process issues and are broken down by case name.

Throughout both series there is correspondence to and from members of Congress and their staffs and with various federal agencies.