Irving S. Friedman was appointed economic adviser to Bank President George D. Woods on 1 October 1964 after having served as Director of the Exchange Restrictions Department at the IMF since 1950. Many of the letters and memoranda for the October-December 1964 period concern the structuring of his staff and appointments. Letters and memoranda concerning strengthening of the Economics Department placed under him and appointments of additional economists including Andrew Kamarck who was named director of the department and Bela Belassa who was recruited by Friedman as consultant adviser to the Economics Department are in the file for the early portion of 1965. Other subjects of the 1965 correspondence include the Capital Requirements Study, assistance to countries in debt rescheduling, external debt, and creation of the Economic Committee at the Bank. Friedman's memoranda to President Woods for this period include: proposals for consultative groups; comments on Fund quota increases and the impact of Balance of Payments on an IBRD bond issue in the United States; and his report to Wood on his visits to Brazil, Argentina, and Chile in September 1965.

Friedman's reading file for the 1966-1967 period includes: a 4 February 1966 draft of a speech to be given at the White House by President Woods on his views on the U.S. foreign aid program; outlines of presentations and copies of speeches made by Friedman at Harvard University, the Brookings Institution, the U.N. Trade and Development Board and elsewhere; notes and summaries to the file on various subjects; drafts of papers on various topics and issues including some September 1966 drafts entitled Accomplishment in Economics of the last two years at World Bank. A 14 March 1966 memorandum to Woods on Post War [Viet Nam Conflict] Planning; several memoranda sent to Woods in May 1966 concerning a meeting between Friedman and representatives of the U.S. Defense Department at which India and Pakistan defense expenditures were discussed; and a 12 June 1967 memorandumwritten jointly by Friedman and Kamarck to Woods proposing a New Perspective for the Middle East following the six-day war between Israel and an alliance of Arab states are part of the file.

The blue carbon typewritten copies of letters and memoranda in this series constituted Friedman's personal reading file. They primarily document Friedman's official duties while serving with Woods until the President's retirement on 31 March 1968, but they also include some personal letters of congratulation and condolence, thank you letters for invitations and hospitality extended to him and his wife, and occasional personal letters to professional colleagues outside the Bank.