Material is arranged roughly in chronological order for stories, followed by expense accounts and correspondence. The collection mostly documents particular stories Bourgholtzer covered during his career, though some documentation also reflects the operation of news bureau offices and the business expenses of a working reporter. The collection is divided into nine series: WHITE HOUSE SCRIPTS AND NOTES, OVERSEAS SCRIPTS AND NOTES, LOS ANGELES BUREAU SCRIPTS AND NOTES, EASTERN BLOC STORIES, EXPENSE ACCOUNTS, CORRESPONDENCE, BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL, AUDIO RECORDINGS, and VISUAL MATERIALS.
The WHITE HOUSE SCRIPTS AND NOTES series is arranged chronologically and primarily documents Bourgholtzer’s travel with President Truman for the 1948 election, and with General Eisenhower for the 1952 election.
The OVERSEAS SCRIPTS AND NOTES series is arranged chronologically and includes scripts and notes from various European bureau offices to which Bourgholtzer was assigned. This series ends in 1969, when Bourgholtzer was reassigned to the Los Angeles bureau; subsequent reporting from Eastern Europe is found in the EASTERN BLOC STORIES series.
The LOS ANGELES BUREAU SCRIPTS AND NOTES series is arranged chronologically and generally includes one or more folders of scripts per year, followed by folders of script drafts, story notes, and research materials for specific stories. Within each year, story titles are arranged alphabetically, with proper names arranged by last name. This is the largest series in the collection.
The EASTERN BLOC STORIES series is arranged chronologically and documents periodic work Bourgholtzer would do in Eastern Europe, usually Moscow, after his reassignment to the United States. He continued to cover stories from Moscow until 1988, two years after his retirement.
The EXPENSE ACCOUNTS series is arranged chronologically and primarily includes travel expense vouchers for covering specific stories, or for Bourgholtzer’s moves between bureaus.
The CORRESPONDENCE series is arranged chronologically and primarily includes correspondence received at NBC with regard to stories Bourgholtzer covered, although some folders identify specific correspondents. Where available, that information has been preserved.
The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL includes reminiscenses, awards, press clippings, and photographs.
The AUDIO RECORDINGS and VISUAL MATERIALS in the collection are arranged by format. These formats include open-reel and cassette audio, 16 mm film reels, and 3/4-inch U-Matic and 1/2-inch VHS tape. Many of these materials are copies of stories Bourgholtzer reported, some coming from his family’s personal recordings and some dubbed from bureau copies. A small number of materials are elements from stories that have been kept because they included interviews, rare or noteworthy footage, or held other research interest.
