Between 1942–1945 Ferry held a series of positions including consultant for the International Labour Organization (1940–1944), Chief Investigator in New Hampshire for the Office of Price Administration (1942–1944), Director of Public Relations for the Congress of Industrial Organizations (1944), and member of the U. S. Strategic Bombing Survey, Southwest Pacific Area (1945).
[3]: 749–755 He continued to work for the fund after it moved from New York City to Santa Barbara, California in 1959, when it changed its name to the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions (CSDI).
[2] On August 7, 1962, Ferry delivered a speech titled "Myths, Cliches and Stereotypes" to the Western States Democratic Conference in Seattle, Washington, where he was very critical of the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover.
[5] This led to criticism across the political divide including from Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and attacks by the press across the country.
[6] Immediately after marrying, the two started playing an active role in human rights, political causes, prevention of environmental problems, and the overall struggles of places such as Africa.
Among the main recipients were philanthropy groups dedicated to human rights, economic recovery, and the anti-war effort.
Among the political action groups they supported were the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Center for Constitutional Rights.