The Ernie Deane Papers include materials related to Arkansas writers, especially Walter Lemke; World War II, including numerous materials pertaining to Maurice "Footsie" Britt and other Arkansas veterans, as well as the University of Arkansas during the war; and other materials pertaining to Arkansas and the University of Arkansas. The collection also includes documents used as evidence and photographs taken during the Nuremberg Trials in 1945-1949; the documents are English translations of the original documents, with a large number pertaining to the use of the press and propaganda in Germany. The collection also includes materials related to Deane's visits to American and NATO armed forces in Europe in 1960 and 1963. Also included are materials related to the field of journalism as practiced in Arkansas and the United States. Some materials, including the Nuremberg documents, were originally collected by Walter Lemke.

Materials include paper documents, newspapers and clippings, periodicals, pamphlets, booklets, photographs, and posters. Finally, the collection includes three sets of film without reels, apparently produced during the Nuremberg trials. Besides the Nuremberg photographs, notable photographs include photographs of the Razorback football teams from 1902, 1934, 1936, and 1941 (see Box 3, Folder 55) as well as a photograph (Image 24) of Betty Grable leading a band in Hollywood.