The collection primarily consist of letters and telegrams exchanged between Dr. Burt Brown Barker and President Herbert Hoover, who had been childhood friends in Salem, Oregon. The letters begin during World War I, when Hoover headed the Commission for Relief in Belgium. Also housed in the collection are: a 1915 publication about the Commission for Relief in Belgium; invitations for Hoover-related events sent to Barker; a post-inauguration parade invitation sent to Leonebel Jacobs and a 1953 exchange of letters between Jacobs and Barker about Hoover; newspaper clippings about Hoover; a photograph of Hoover inspecting the jacket design for his book Growing Up; the original file folder that held this collection's contents, with notes and a chronological inventory by Barker. Aside from the invitation to Jacobs and a 1930 holiday card sent to Barker, none of the collection's materials relate to Hoover's time as President of the United States.