The papers of Carlyle Elwood Maw (1903-1987) span the years 1925-1979, with the bulk of the material dating from 1969 to 1979. They focus on Maw's work as a legal adviser to Henry Kissinger, primarily during the years 1973-1976 when Maw served as legal adviser in the Department of State and as undersecretary of state for security affairs. His papers have been arranged into the following series: Henry Kissinger File , Subject File , Miscellany , Classified, Top Secret , and Sensitive Compartmented Information.

The largest portion of the papers, the Henry Kissinger File , documents Maw's work for Kissinger in the State Department and as a private attorney. The topics covered most thoroughly are the wiretapping of members of the staff of the National Security Council and journalists between 1969 and 1971 and Kissinger's Middle East shuttle diplomacy in 1974. Maw accompanied Kissinger to the Middle East when he negotiated disengagement agreements between Israel and its neighbors Egypt and Syria, and the files include drafts and working papers of the agreements as well as State Department telegrams reporting on the negotiations. The portion on national-security wiretaps contains files pertaining to Morton H. Halperin's lawsuit against Kissinger. Background documents and wiretap reports supplement these files and provide an account of the wiretapping program. Files concerning Maw's activities as Kissinger's personal attorney focus mainly on prospective employment, speaking engagements, and publishing opportunities for Kissinger after he left the government.

A Subject File series focuses on Carlyle Maw's legal education and organizational activities. It contains his notebooks from Harvard Law School and documents his work with the United States Council of the International Chamber of Commerce. The Miscellany consists of notes and texts of his speeches and writings on legal topics such as antitrust and international law