The Alfred McClung Lee Papers consist of files dating from the late 1920's through the 1980's.  Dr. Lee's life not only involved scholarly research but also a true dedication to minority groups. He was an individual who saw injustice and sought to correct it. The materials in this collection deal with professional and personal correspondence as well as his various research files. Through this material, we get a closer look at his public and his private life.

The bulk of the Lee collection consists of professional and personal correspondence. Lee was in constant contact with colleagues throughout the world. His professional correspondence files date from the late 1920's up through the early 1980's. There are also many files dealing with and including letters between Lee and other professors and as well as organizations. Lee was involved with organizations of all sorts, including many sociological, journalistic and humanitarian organizations. Lee was the executive director for the Institute for Propaganda Analysis, a member of the board of directors for the ACLU, and President and co-founder of the Society for the Study of Social Problems. Many of the letters within this collection deal with policy and program planning regarding these groups.

Series number four, publisher's correspondence, gives us insight into the revisions which went into Lee's published material. These files are a collection of letters from publishing companies and professors concerning the details of publication of manuscript material, as well as recommendations for altering the works.

The collection also has three series dedicated to Lee's research files. His general research files included clippings and articles of everything which interested Lee. Series number seven goes into greater detail, containing a compilation of bibliographic material which covers a vast number of subjects. His main focus was collecting public opinion on topics such as propaganda for the atomic bomb, post World War II opinion, and race relations.

Of particular interest to the Brooklyn College archives are two series of files concerning CUNY correspondence. Within this series are numerous letters written to and received from the president and deans of Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center.