The Executive Secretary's files include CORE records from the time of the organization's inception in 1942, through the 1940's when CORE began to have a major structure and unified organization. They serve as a basis for understanding the changes CORE has undergone through the years. The files contain chiefly the correspondence of George M. Houser who was the mainstay of CORE in the 1940's and early 1950's. For about a decade, Houser served either as chairman or executive secretary, while maintaining some duties as an officer of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, apparently receiving no salary from either. In 1954 James Robinson became executive secretary and remained in that office until 1961, when the executive secretary's position was abandoned and Robinson was made membership director.

The Executive Secretary's files are organized by subject, and chronologically by months under each subject. They are concerned primarily with the first group of CORE chapters, and the letters of inquiry about this developing organization. There is some correspondence of James Farmer, but most of the material pre-dates Farmer's term as director.

The Executive Secretary's files contain material relating to the early national conventions including correspondence with both affiliated and unaffiliated chapters. There are also papers of Billie Ames who was group coordinator for a few years in the 1950's. Some material is included in the files concerning organizations with whom CORE worked.