The Official subseries is divided into five sub-subseries, “In”, “Out” (incoming and outgoing correspondence), Appointments, Extraditions and Colonel Commissions. It is likely that the “In” and “Out” sub-subseries were created by the staff of the South Caroliniana Library at the University of South Carolina during processing.

“In” (1941–1951) includes appointment books, budgets, clippings, correspondence, daily schedule books, invitations, memos, minutes, petitions, photographs, postcards, reports, copies of speeches and statements and telegrams, arranged alphabetically by folder title (usually subject or name). The majority of the correspondence is from officials of state boards, bureaus, colleges, commissions, departments and divisions such as J. Roy Jones (Commissioner of Agriculture), Joel D. Townsend (Chief, Law Enforcement Division) and A. A. Richardson (Chief Game Warden). These files often include reports from state agencies. There is also correspondence from federal and local officials (e.g., U.S. Representatives and Senators, Corps of Engineers, state representatives and senators, county sheriffs) and from constituents.

Declined invitations were removed before filming, as were treasury receipts, notary public commissions, sympathy letters, routine requests for information, routine expenditure files (e.g., grocery bills, Mansion expenses), and an oversize aerial photograph of the Ordinance Depot and Dock, Charleston, SC taken in 1948. Only the “In” files of Acknowledgements and the “Out” files of Appointments were filmed. Many enclosures are missing clippings and articles are probably part of the Scrapbooks, while other material was sent to the “Research Department”. Related material can be found in the Personal and Campaigns subseries and in Speeches as well.

Topics contained in this sub-subseries include agriculture; state budget; conservation; development of electric power resources (Clark’s Hill, Lyles Ford and Santee–Cooper); dual office–holding; economic development, mainly reflected in the files concerning the Research, Planning and Development Board; education, including hearings as a result of a cheating scandal involving the National Teacher Examination; election reform; federal aid to education; gambling; state government reorganization; health; highways; labor; law enforcement; legislation; national and state politics; prisons; probation, pardon and parole; race relations; river and harbor improvements; Sullivan’s Island (Fort Moultrie) and other surplus federal government property; taxes; temperance; the textile industry; and welfare.

Of particular interest are reactions to Thurmond’s attempt to arrest, try and convict the perpetrators of the lynching of Willie Earle in 1947 (related material can be found in Mss 156, the Alan Schaffer Collection of F.B.I. files relating to the lynching of Willie Earle, 1947–1988); his efforts to have Bruce Littlejohn appointed to the speakership in the state house of representatives in 1947; his criticism of real estate boards for high rents and housing costs in a speech at Myrtle Beach in 1947; his appointment of Faith Clayton to the Industrial Commission in 1949; and his efforts to have transfer credits from Bob Jones University accepted at state colleges and universities throughout his term. There are also files concerning Governor Strom Thurmond’s involvement in various conferences, most notably the Governors’ Conference and the Southern Governor’s Conference; the latter held its meeting in Charleston in 1950, and the material in this sub–subseries includes the arrangements made for this meeting.

While a member of the Southern Governor’s Conference, Thurmond served as the chairman of the Conference’s Freight Rate Committee after serving as a member from 1947–1948; he retained an interest in the Committee’s work after the end of his term as chairman. The material in the freight rate files reflects legal efforts by the Conference to equalize freight between the North and South and ensure fair uniform classification of rates. Included are discussions of Conference strategies, financial contributions to the legal effort by each state, minutes of the meetings of the Committee, proposed legislation, the progress of classification and questions about legal representation.

Thurmond was also involved in an attempt by fifteen southern states to form a regional education compact for higher education (especially medical, dental and veterinary). The files include material pertaining to financing the compact; the relationship with Meharry College in Nashville, Tennessee for medical education; minutes and reports of planning groups, the Board of Control, the Executive Committee and the Council and Interim Council of Regional Education; both draft and final copies of compacts, agreements and enabling legislation; and criticisms that regional education was an attempt to circumvent Supreme Court rulings mandating equal education opportunities for African–Americans in each state.

Correspondents in this sub-subseries include Frank Bane, Christie Benet, Edgar Brown, Walter Brown, Gordon Browning, Joseph R. Bryson, J. Fred Buzhardt, Millard F. Caldwell, John K. Cauthen, R. M. Cooper, Horace Crouch, John Bolt Culbertson, Charles E. Daniel, D. W. Daniel, William Jennings Bryan Dorn, J. Drake Edens, Robert McC. Figg Jr., Alester Furman, John Temple Graves, James H. Hammond, James B. Hare, E. L. Hart, W. G. (“Grady”) Hazel, James M. Hinton, J. Edgar Hoover, Beverly Howard, John E. Ivey Jr., Beauford Jester, Olin Johnston, Bob Jones, Bob Jones Jr., Dr. Waldo H. Jones, Bruce Littlejohn, J. C. Littlejohn, Burnet R. Maybank, Walter R. McDonald, Sid McMath, John L. McMillan, Roger Milliken, L. S. Moody, J. Van Dyke Norman, Drew Pearson, Robert F. Poole, Paul Quattlebaum Jr., J. P. Richards, John J. Riley, L. Mendel Rivers, Ruth Roettinger, Richard B. Russell, Jr., Aaron Schwartz, James C. Self, Henry R. Sims, Hugo S. Sims, Norman M. Smith, Herman Talmadge, M. E. Thompson, John William Thurmond, George Bell Timmerman Jr., Harry Truman, William M. Tuck, Cornelia Dabney Tucker, Grady L. Wade, Sam T. Watkins and Fielding Wright.

“Out” (1946–1951) consists mainly of replies to correspondence in Official “In” prepared by the Governor and his staff. Also included are drafts of letters and statements, memos, notes, routing slips, statements, copies of completed surveys (mainly in the Adjutant General file) and telegrams, all arranged alphabetically by folder title. The material in each folder is usually arranged in reverse chronological order, but will occasionally be arranged alphabetically.

Some incoming correspondence may be filed with the outgoing material. Copies of Thurmond’s proclamations appear in this sub-subseries, as do biographies prepared by his office and related material.

Staff members who frequently appear in this sub-subseries include Warren H. Abernathy (Administrative Assistant, 1950–1951), J. Ernest Craig (Executive Secretary 1949–1950), William Lowndes Daniel Jr. (Executive Secretary, 1947-1948), David H. Kennedy (Research Assistant 1947–1948 and Acting Executive Secretary, 1948–1949), George MacNabb (Research Secretary 1948–1951), William F. Prioleau Jr. (Legislative Secretary, 1950–1951), John T. Sloan Jr. (Administrative Assistant, 1947), Folsom R. Smith (Administrative Assistant, 1948–1949) and Mary B. Williams (Recording Secretary).

The Appointments sub-subseries (1946–1951) contains correspondence concerning with job appointments at the state and county levels. These records are divided into county appointments and state appointments. The county appointments are arranged alphabetically by county; the state appointments are arranged alphabetically by job titles. Both are arranged chronologically within each folder.

Some of the county appointments include magistrates, game wardens and memberships on boards of education, election (federal), registration and taxes. State appointments include governor’s officers, state constables, state game wardens and appointment to state boards, commissions and committees such as the Board of Bank Control, the Committee on Constitutional Revision, the Board of Medical Examiners and the Tax Commission. Correspondence concerning appointments may also be found in the Official “In” and “Out” sub-subseries, the Personal subseries and Speeches.

The Extraditions sub-subseries (1946–1951) consists of correspondence, warrants, and other materials regarding extraditions to and from the state of South Carolina. Generally, the material is arranged alphabetically by the last name of the individual to be extradited and then chronologically within each folder. However, the last two folders deal with extradition inquiries and pending extradition cases, and are arranged chronologically within each folder.

The Colonel Commissions sub-subseries (1947–1951) contains correspondence awarding individuals the honorary commission of colonel; these commissions were sometimes used as a reward for political loyalty, and the “colonels” played a significant role in Thurmond’s campaigns. Generally, the correspondence is arranged alphabetically but within each alphabetical letter the correspondence is assigned a number as it was created by Thurmond’s staff or first received in the governor’s office. Then, within each individual’s name, the correspondence is arranged chronologically. This results in some individuals having more than one folder assigned to them. The last few folders contain the photocopied card index of colonels arranged alphabetically by the individuals’ last name. Individuals who received colonel commissions include J. Fred Buzhardt, Walter Brown, James F. Byrnes, W. G. and Martha Bishop, Charles E. Daniel, Fred Pearman and Paul Quattlebaum Jr.