Through correspondence, reports, and memoranda, this subseries documents Rockefeller's interest in and commitment to Asia. Rockefeller was deeply concerned about the need for increasing America's understanding and appreciation of the peoples of Asia. To that end, he was involved in the support of cultural exchange programs; the revival of the Japan Society; the formation of the Asia Society; the construction of Asia House, the Asia Society's New York City headquarters; and the construction of the International House of Japan in Tokyo. The files documenting the teaching of the English language in Japan (folders 452-455) reflect Rockefeller's belief in the importance of English to Japan's growth in the international community. Also included here are files relating to the Council on Economic and Cultural Affairs, Inc. (CECA), an organization established by Rockefeller in 1953 to stimulate and support economic and related activities focusing on Asia. Rockefeller's work for the John Foster Dulles peace mission to Japan in 1951 led to a renewed acquaintance with Shigeharu Matsumoto, with whom he had worked at the Institute of Pacific Relations conference in 1929. The Matsumoto and Rockefeller families became close friends. Included in this subseries are Rockefeller's report for Dulles and the State Department (folder 446), as well as correspondence between Matsumoto and JDR 3rd (folders 477-478). Also represented here are two commercial ventures developed by Rockefeller to sell in the United States quality merchandise manufactured in Asia, namely, Products of Asia, Inc. and Products of India, Inc. These companies, which were meant to increase trade and encourage cultural contact, were sold in 1965.

Beginning with his family's trip to the western United States in 1920, Rockefeller kept accounts of each day's activities in travel logs and diaries. Of note in this subseries are Rockefeller's record of his college graduation world tour in 1929 (folders 728-731); his General Education Board field trips, 1940-1947 (folders 733-734); and the trips to Europe, the Far East, and Africa undertaken on behalf of the Rockefeller Foundation. The field trips undertaken with other GEB trustees involved a study of poverty, race relations, and education in the rural South, notably Georgia, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Also documented here are Rockefeller's annual mid-winter visits to Asia, which began in 1951. With his travels, Rockefeller intended to gain firsthand knowledge of a region's economic and social conditions. To that end, he traveled extensively in Asia, Europe, and Africa. His diaries and logs contain observations on the cultures, societies, and people of the various countries he visited.