This collection documents the actions of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) from its founding in 1919 through 2012, but the majority of the records were generated by the office of Fred Spilhaus during his term as Executive Director from 1970 to 2009. Other executive officers who contributed to this collection include Waldo E. Smith and Peter Eagleson, among others.

The collection contains administrative correspondence and reports, as well as Executive Committee, Board and Council meeting agendas, minutes and notes. Topics include national and international research in geophysics, publishing matters, AGU membership and governance, and the founding and incorporation of AGU. The collection also documents relationships between AGU and other organizations such as International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), National Research Council (NRC), National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives (CESSE), and the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU).