Approximately half of the materials deal with Simmons's role in overseeing the production of "Science and Corporate Stategy" by David A. Hounshell and John K. Smith, a scholarly history of Research and Development at DuPont. The file contains drafts of the manuscript submitted to DuPont for review, minutes of meetings of the advisory committee chaired by Simmons, and correspondence between Hounshell, Simmons, and other DuPont officers. The records document the company's critique of the manuscript, and Dr. Hounshell's acceptance of, and rebuttal to, company suggestions. The file also describes the search for relevant records in DuPont's records storage system and the transfer of some records to the Hagley Museum and Library.

Most of the remaining files are reports dealing with DuPont's diversification program in the late 1960s, including many paths not taken, pamphlets, reports, and miscellaneous documents dealing with the history of the Chemical/Central Research Department and the Experimental Station. Among these are annual reports of the Development Department, a report on "Conduct of Research" by A. P. Tanberg, a list of Chemical Department personnel, a 1934 report on research at DuPont by Imperial Chemical Industries, Ltd., and memorandums covering the naming of Nylon, the Lavoisier Library, and the Carothers Laboratory. There are also speeches by CEO Edward G. Jefferson and a copy of Lammot du Pont's patent for substituting sodium nitrate for saltpeter in the manufacture of gunpowder.