Roder's journals contain regular daily entries for nearly three decades, from April 1931 to April 1959. Each volume contains entries for one calendar year; the volume for 1939 is lacking. The nature of the journals' content is quite consistent over time. Roder records the events, hour-by-hour, of each working day, from office routine to work in the field: meetings with informants, surveillances, wiretaps, arrests. Some fieldwork is described as undercover. The entries convey the facts with a minimum of narrative flourish. Names, addresses and phone numbers are specified, as are agents worked with, autos used, and expenses incurred during the day. The journals doubtless facilitated report writing, reimbursements, and perhaps testifying in court (as Roder was subpoenaed with some frequency). The collection also includes two partially filled volumes independent of the journals, containing addresses and other work-related information.