The collection consists of correspondence, manuscripts by Messner and others, memoirs by Messner, photographs and printed materials. Manuscripts by Messner include a typescript (275 p.) entitled "Nekotorye prichiny porazhenii︠a︡ Germanii v voĭnu 1939-1945 g.g." Messner's memoirs (3293 p. and 350 p.) cover the years 1914-1973. Included among them are clippings, photographs, mimeographed materials and pamphlets. The majority of his memoirs concern World War I and the Civil War. Photographs are mostly copies. Printed materials consist mostly of clippings of articles by Messner in South American monarchist periodicals.

The papers consist primarily of the Kosatkin-Rostovskiĭ's memoirs. His manuscript memoirs (150 p.) discuss his life up to 1906. Her typescript memoirs (440 p.) discuss her childhood, career as an actress in St. Petersburg, 1917-1918 in Petrograd, and the emigration in France. Also included are his diary for June-July 1940; a few letters written to him; clippings of his newspaper articles (many signed with the pseudonym "Antar"); and a book with his poetry and with essays dedicated to him; "Krestnym putem k voskresenii︠u︡" (Paris, 1948).

Manukhin's papers consists of correspondence, manuscripts, printed materials, and a photograph. The bulk of the papers are manuscripts, in particular Manukhin's memoirs and a medical work, "Auto-Dʹefense de lʹOrganisme." The memoirs deal with Manukhin's medical studies at the Military-Medical Academy in St. Petersburg (Voenno-Medit︠s︡inskai︠a︡ Akademii︠a︡); his medical practice (among his patients was Maksim Gorḱiĭ); the period of the Revolution and Civil War in Petrograd; and his emigration to France. Printed materials consist of works by Manukhin. Manukhin's wife, Tatʹi︠a︡na, was editor of Metropolitan Evlogiĭ's memoirs ("Puti moeĭ zhizni"), and some of the correspondence touches on that work.

The collection contains correspondence, manuscripts, clippings, books and periodicals. There are two letters from Aleksandr Glazunov and one each from Aleksandr Grechaninov and Nikolaĭ Metner. The manuscripts deal with both cultural affairs and the Russian Revolution. Among the cultural topics are essays on music, Isadora Duncan, Maksim Gorḱiĭ and literary affairs. There are articles about general aspects of the Revolution and about such individuals as Lenin, Stalin, Chicherin, Dzerzhinskiĭ and Kamenev. Many of the articles are memoiristic in nature, particularly those about life in Moscow and in the provinces during the Revolution, Dzerzhinskiĭ and Kamenev. There are clippings of articles written by Sabaneev and a number of books and periodicals either written by Sabaneev or containing articles by him.

Papers include materials relating to the Russian forces in France (correspondence, reports, orders) in 1915-1918, and documents relating to Dutov's army in 1919-1920. Also included are three manuscripts by Karkhanin. Two are memoirs, on Dutov's army in 1919-1920 and its retreat to China in 1920; the third is about the Russian corps in France in World War I. There are also issues of "Russkai︠a︡ Mysl"́ with Karkharin's articles about the Russian forces in Macedonia and France in World War I, and a brief biography of Karkhanin by his wife.

The papers consist of correspondence, memoirs, and printed materials. The correspondence is made up of letters sent by his mother, Olǵa Kostyleva, from Petrograd in 1916-1919. Kostylev's extensive manuscript memoirs (522 p.) discuss his life from his childhood and university education in St. Petersburg up into World War I. Also included are issues and clippings from "Slovo" and "Rus"́ with articles by Kostylev, and clippings from "Poslednie Novosti" by various newspapers.

The collection contains Simonovich's correspondence, manuscripts, doucments, subject files, and printed materials. There are letters to Simonovich from a friend who had settled in Yugoslavia, A. S. Poplavskiĭ, and Belgian postcards from before World War I. Manuscripts deal with Simonovich's experiences in the Imperial army on the Caucasian front and in the White army under general Slashchev. There are also essays devoted to the Russian emigre colonies in Belgium and in France. The subject files concern the Belgian section of the Gallipolian Society (Obʺshchestvo Gallipolit︠s︡ev) and Russian emigre events in Belgium. The printed materials include chiefly miscellaneous journals and clippings, some with articles by Simonovich.