When it was founded, the Congress of Racial Equality had no definite staff positions other than those of chairman, James Farmer, and executive secretary. As executive secretary, George M. Houser, carried on most of the correspondence and organization functions for CORE. In the early years, the organization worked closely with the Fellowship of Reconciliation; most of the CORE staff, who served on a voluntary basis, were also members and officers of FOR. Not until 1961 did CORE establish and maintain a stable organizational structure with designated responsibilities for its top officers. Prior to 1961, its national office had a constantly shifting policy in regard to titles and offices, and a fairly frequent turnover in personnel. Besides the change in personnel, there were many staff members who held more than one position and who carried out a variety of duties.

The Director's primary function has been to supervise personnel and coordinate departments and activities, to guide in establishing policies for the national organization, and to provide leadership for the national organization as a whole. The national Director plans projects that the organization decides to undertake, and often has been an active participant in demonstrations and freedom rides. The Director's file contains primarily correspondence from 1959 to 1964, This series also contains extensive material relating to the organizations with which CORE worked. There are records covering the CORE conventions, its constitution, and various CORE chapters. In processing, it was possible to keep a number of the Director's files intact, just as they were received from the National Office.

The Director's files are similar in organization to every other series in the collection, since they represent most of the subjects and projects with which CORE was primarily concerned. The Director is a member of the National Action Council which, within the structure of CORE, determines the philosophy and direction of the Congress of Racial Equality.