The Papers consist mainly of the correspondence and writings (articles, speeches, and interviews) of Stone and other Scripps-Howard staff members. There is also financial information concerning some of the staff, schedules of business trips, reports on various research/interview projects, and miscellaneous papers, e.g., poems, cartoons, and excerpts from letters and books. The Papers have been divided into a correspondence file, and a subject file. Both of these divisions are alphabetical files.
The correspondence (1918-1969) comprises more than one-half of the collection. It is alphabetically arranged by correspondent or subject of the letter, and chronologically thereunder. Many of the correspondents are renowned statesmen, politicians or journalists, and it is a good series of letters especially for the 1940's through the 1960's, although the contents of many of the letters may be written in the diplomatic rhetoric required of the political-press relationship. A list of prominent correspondents is in an appendix. Usually the correspondence of an individual or on a single subject is filed in a separate folder. But if there are very few letters from or to a given correspondent (or on a subject) these letters will be filed alphabetically with others in a folder marked “general.” There is at least one such folder for each letter of the alphabet.
The subject file consists of: articles and editorials; awards; biographies; information on the presidential campaigns of Dwight Eisenhower (1952) and John Kennedy and Richard Nixon (1960); miscellaneous charts; financial and legal papers; miscellaneous interviews, lists, and memos; materials relating to Ernie Pyle; questionnaires; quotations from Edward Wyllis Scripps; Radio Free Europe materials; reports; speeches; a 1932 World News summary; travel papers; miscellaneous papers; and clippings.
The articles and editorials are mostly drafts for Scripps-Howard publications and not published copy. They are arranged alphabetically by author's name. Also in this category are articles and editorials printed in magazines or newspapers other than Scripps-Howard newspapers; these frequently deal with a Scripps-Howard writer.
Information on eligibility and award-winners for the Pulitzer Prize and the Raymond Clapper journalism awards is filed under awards. The Pulitzer Prize material deals mainly with Vance Trimble, a Scripps-Howard writer who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his articles leading to the passage of the law requiring that the public be informed on government spending.
There are a few brief biographies of Scripps-Howard staff writers organized alphabetically by surname of subject. These have been made a separate category within the subject file. The political campaigns documented in the collection are the 1952 presidential campaign of Dwight Eisenhower and the 1960 presidential campaigns of John Kennedy and Richard Nixon. There is one folder of charts or graphs dealing with the flow of tax refunds to the public, government spending, and veteran employment (1922-1945).
The financial and legal papers are filed alphabetically under the name of the person with whom they deal. There is information concerning lawsuits, salaries, insurance policies, death certificates, and similar matters. There is also some material relating to Vance Trimble and to Ernie Pyle.
The interviews are lists of questions asked at interviews, and the answers given. These are arranged alphabetically by surname of interviewee. Memos are arranged alphabetically by name of the originator of the memo. Most of them are marked “confidential and private,” and deal with some “off the wire” information, or comment on statements made by politicians or colleagues.
The Ernie Pyle material concerns the numerous memorial services and memorials honoring Pyle, scripts adapted from his books used in movies and on radio broadcasts, and miscellaneous items such as a list of things found in his locker following his death during World War II. However, the correspondence file of the collection is the better source for information on Pyle's career.
Questionnaires deal with public opinion of the Scripps-Howard newspapers, Vietnam and other “vital issues” facing the nation. The quotations are excerpts from speeches, books, letters, and conversations of Edward Wyllis Scripps. The Radio Free Europe folder contains information on the history as well as the current status of the undertaking. The reports are arranged alphabetically by author and cover several topics, e.g. civil liberties, domestic affairs, and foreign relations. The speeches category is very similar to reports. Also covering a variety of subjects, it is arranged alphabetically by author or subject.
The 1932 summary, as the title indicates, is a compendium of major events worldwide during the year 1932. It was compiled by R. P. Scripps. Filed under travel papers are the visas, inoculation certificates, and itineraries connected with business trips of Scripps-Howard staff members.
Newspaper clippings is a chronological file of collected clippings (1927-1969) of articles Stone wrote concerning such topics as the Vietnam War, the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debate, the Joseph McCarthy hearings, Nazi war crimes, and several series of articles written by Stone during his trips abroad.
