The collection consists primarily of manuscripts by Bragin, including his memoirs, which describe his military service during the Boxer Rebellion, the Russo-Japanese War, World War I, the 1917 Revolution and the Civil War. The documents and subject file relate to his service as head of the White military mission to Iran in 1920. Printed materials are largely clippings from and copies of emigre periodicals, with articles by Bragin.

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 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.