General Correspondence documents ABC’s involvement with educational television; letters to stockholders or potential investors document network decisions and trends regarding election coverage, securing stations in Latin America, development of UHF, etc. Broader network issues are discussed only intermittently usually in reaction to a specific concern on behalf of the correspondent. Information on programming primarily consists of replies to complaints or compliments on programs from the general public.

The files are arranged first by year and then alphabetically by last name of correspondent. It should be noted that documentation consists of material both by and about many departments. Files exist for divisions and prominent personnel. There are also separate files for ABC presidents Robert Kintner and Oliver Treyz.

Other personal correspondence consists of congratulatory notes on weddings, births, etc. (including a brief humorous telegram to Jerry Lewis on the birth of his son 1/8/64). More in depth correspondence centers on LHG’s responses to viewers and/or stockholder’s concerning programming or ABC policy.

Correspondents include public officials and departments, members of Congress, the FCC, affiliates, employees and business acquaintances. Though far from complete, portions of the material is of high quality. The bulk of the memos and reports in the General Correspondence are not well detailed nor do they reveal policy decisions and implementation.

Among the General correspondence, social correspondence and internal memoranda pre-dominate, but there are also charitable campaign literature, newspaper and magazine clippings, reports, pamphlets, scant photographs, promotional material, contracts, scripts and transcripts, bulletins and newsletters, political campaign literature, and related material. The bulk of the records document the years 1956-1969 although there is almost a complete lack of General or Outgoing Correspondence for 1957. The bulk of fire damaged correspondence from LHG and Treyz dates from 1958. Such an obvious gap in records indicates it is possible that fire destroyed most of the files from 1957.