Series I: Administration, 1919-1990, inclusive

Series I: Administration (1919-1990), is divided into nine subseries.

Subseries I: Organization and History (1940-1945), contains information about the organizations which preceded the NCASF, the Council's by-laws, and a chronology of its activities.

Subseries II: Biographical Materials Regarding NCASF Associates (1941-1986), provides information on the personal achievements of the Council's most eminent leaders, officers, and supporters. This subseries also contains incomplete biographical information about some of the NCASF rank and file members.

Subseries III: Minutes (1943-1990), contains the minutes of the Executive Council and Board of Directors, which have few gaps. The minutes for the National Board and for Membership Meetings are incomplete, spanning from 1975-1989 and 1945-1961 respectively. This subseries also contains minutes from Regional Meetings in 1977.

Subseries IV: Internal Documents, Public Statements (1947-1989), contains reports, positions papers, and statements designated for press release. It also contains statements, resolutions, proposals, and reports meant for circulation within the NCASF. The materials in this subseries reflect the Council's position on some current events, including several unpopular Soviet actions and policies, and some organizational self-criticism.

Subseries V: Correspondence (1919-1990), is arranged according to position in the organization's hierarchy: Chairmen, Secretary, Executive Directors, then general correspondence. Within each group, the correspondence is arranged chronologically. Most of the correspondence is among Council members and leaders of other progressive organizations, as well as with celebrities who sponsored the work of the NCASF. About half of the correspondence in this series is that of Richard Morford. Some prominent individuals with whom Morford corresponded were Governor Elmer Benson, Jerome Davis, Howard Fast, Shirley Graham DuBois, Alphaeus Hunton, A.J. Muste, Otto Nathan, Scott Nearing, Paul Robeson, Jessica Smith, editor of the New World Review, Anna Louise Strong, Alexander Trachtenberg, Mary Van Kleek, Harry Ward, and Max Weber. The Council's general correspondence contains letters from Senator Claude Pepper, Edward Stettinius, Henry Stimson, and Willard Uphaus. This subseries also contains a complete set of Alan Thomson's Fact Sheets to NCASF members, spanning the years 1981-1990.

Subseries VI: Legal (1945-1989), is divided into two sections. The first section, Charters and Contracts, consists of only two folders, one of which is an agreement of cooperation with the USSR-USA Friendship Society. The second section, Defense of NCASF, contains all documents, petitions, depositions, statements, motions, proposed findings, correspondence with lawyers, and court transcripts pertaining to the actions of the Subversive Activities Control Board against the Council. It also contains documents pertaining to individual indictments of Council officers Morford, Lamont, and Kingsbury. Finally, this section contains material from the Alan Thomson Defense Fund, whose case is currently (1992) pending in court.

Subseries VII: Members and Sponsors, Finances (1943-1988), contains early records of members and sponsors, many of whom joined the NCASF then severed their connections as a result of the SACB case against the Council. This subseries also contains sparse information regarding the Council's financing and fundraising programs.

Subseries VIII: Committees and Local Councils (1943-1988), contains materials generated by the Council's various committees. The committees created the bulk of their documentation in the 1940's.

The second section of this subseries, Local Councils, consists of materials generated by the various local branches of the Council in 25 cities and regions. Particularly active councils, such as those in Chicago and Southern California, have a substantial amount of material documenting their activities, while smaller or less active local councils, such as in Buffalo and Detroit, have little information. The activities of the local councils varied in scope, ranging from the presentation of Soviet films to testimonials honoring Soviet delegations and milestones in American-Soviet relations.

Subseries IX: Publications and Educational Materials (1945-1985), documents the Council's creation and distribution of publications, development of Russian Language Classes, and circulation of Soviet films and documentaries. This subseries also documents Council-sponsored exhibits and contains a film catalog and bibliographies on the USSR. The NCASF designated most of these materials for distribution to local councils, trade unions, and schools.