The bulk of the records of this series dates primarily from the 1970's to the 1980's. The material consists of announcements of committee meetings and appointments, blueprints, charts, clippings, correspondence (agency, constituent and many "Dear Colleague" letters from other Senators) and copies of Senator Thurmond's replies, copies of bills, drafts of speeches and statements, "fact sheets," legal documents, lists, maps, memoranda, newsletters, notes, petitions, plans, press releases, questions for witnesses, reports and telegrams. All of this material relates to the duties of the Military Assistant and the staff.

The Subject File subseries (Subseries A, 1962-; 8.775 cu. ft.) contains background material used by the Military Assistant for possible legislation (if used for this, the file was transferred to the Bills subseries), to brief the Senator, or for their own information. Most of the types of material described in the paragraph above for the entire series can be found in this subseries. There is some overlap with all of the other subseries in the Military Assistant series. Material on the Armed Services Committee and the Tactical Air Power Subcommittee can be found here (as well as in the Subject Correspondence series).

Topics covered include civil affairs units in the military, civil defense, the drafting of women, foreign policy (mainly in county files), pardons for Vietnam era draft evaders, prisoners of war (POW) and missing in action (MIA) personnel from the Vietnam War, the Vietnam War and the volunteer army. There are files for each of the armed services. Locally important issues, such as the annexation of Fort Jackson land for a Richland County school, the contracting-out of services at the Charleston Naval Shipyard and the curtailment of medical services at Moncrief Hospital (Fort Jackson) are also covered in this subseries. And current events also are covered; in addition to files on the Mayaguez and the Pueblo, there are casualty lists and documentation of the Senator's office efforts to notify next of kin in regard to the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, the invasion of Grenada, and the U.S.S. Stark incident.

Other, more unusual subjects are reflected in this subseries. For example, the raising of a WWII era B-25 bomber from the bottom of Lake Greenwood is chronicled. There are several files concerned with the strategic necessity of the U.S. pinion gear industry and the threat of foreign (Swiss) competition. And there is material relating to such topics as medical supervision of optometrists, the abolition of the Veterinary Corps and recovery efforts after the fire at the Military Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Bills subseries (Subseries B, 1968-; 9 cu. ft.) was originally arranged by bill number. This has been changed to an alphabetical arrangement by subject / folder titles, with the bill number included as part of the title. Because of the overlap between bills of different Congresses and the creation of separate constituent mail files for some subjects, the arrangement within a topic may depart from a strictly chronological sequence.

The material in this subseries pertains to the drafting of legislation concerning military affairs by the Military Assistant, especially those bills concerned with pay and benefits. Topics include the Survivor Benefit Plan, "Catch 62" (a quirk in the laws governing military-civil service retirement), Reserve retirement, "Forgotten Widows" (another retirement law issue), former military spouses' medical care, the Civilian Health and Medical Program for the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) and the Skilled Enlisted Reserve [Military] Training Act (SERTA). There are also several files relating to legislation concerning Vietnam War POW's and MIA's, and a few private relief bill files.

There is a great deal of constituent correspondence in this subseries, as individuals describe their problems to the Senator and plead for relief. This sub-series also documents the role that national military organizations, such as the National Association for Uniformed Services, the Reserve Officers Association, the National Association of Military Widows, the Society of Military Widows and the Ex-Partners of Servicemen (Women) for Equality (EXPOSE) play in the drafting of legislation-providing position papers and statements by members, draft legislation and even statements for the Senator's use. It also documents the close working relationship that sometimes develops between members of these organizations and the Senator's staff.

The Contractors subseries (Subseries C, 1969-; 2.69 cu. ft.) is comprised of material documenting Thurmond's efforts to assist South Carolina contractors, especially small businesses. Much of the correspondence concerns trying to assist contractors in receiving contracts, or in appealing adverse decisions by government agencies. The latter sometimes results in efforts to help the contractor in lawsuits against the government.

Among the companies which have material in this series are the American Development Corporation (a minority firm), American Gear and Pinion (there is related material in the Subject Files subseries; see above), the Environmental Systems Design Corporation, Nilson Van and Storage (contract suspension), Pantronics (in relation to a General Accounting Office report concerning that company's allegations of contract mismanagement and favoritism against the Department of Defense) and the Southern Packaging and Storage Company (concerning contract for Meals, Ready-to-Eat [MRE]). There is also material concerning the moving and storage industry's objections to the Department of Defense's Carrier Evaluation and Reporting System (CERS) and a proposal to change the procedures used for rate acquisitions.

Most of the material relating to contractors was filed in either A&E or CMS (1976 and after).

The Projects subseries (Subseries D, 1971-; 1.35 cu. ft.) is comprised of material mainly related to South Carolina military bases, especially those in Charleston. Topics include the use of the Charleston International Airport as a "gateway" for overseas military commercial contract flights; the desire by the South Carolina Ports Authority to acquire portions of the Charleston Army Depot for its own operations; problems between workers and management at the Charleston Naval Shipyard; and the development of the Patriot's Point Naval Museum, including correspondence on acquiring vessels for the museum, such as PT boats, the Missouri, the Canberra, and the Yorktown. Related material, especially on Army Corps of Engineer Projects, may be found in the Executive Assistant series.

The Cases subseries (Subseries E, 1969-; .675 cu. ft.) documents cases handled by the Military Assistant. Most of the material in this subseries consists of notes taken from telephone calls, intermixed with a small amount of correspon-dence. There are three files concerning cases resulting from combat incidents during the Vietnam War; one relates to the My Lai Incident. As with the Contractor subseries, most of the case material was filed in either A&E or CMS (1976 and after).

There is an Academies subseries, which contains files on successful applicants to the service academies sponsored by Senator Thurmond. This subseries is presently closed to research.

Individuals in this series from South Carolina include U.S. Representatives Butler Derrick and John L. Napier; South Carolina Ports Authority officials Capers G. Barr (General Manager), W. W. ("Hootie") Johnson (Chairman), Joseph Patrick Riley Sr. (Secretary) and W. Don Welch (Executive Director); Patriot's Point Development Authority officials Charles F. Hyatt (Chairman) and Herman J. Kossler (Executive Director); and Mayor John E. Bourne Jr. (North Charleston).

Other individuals from South Carolina include Glenn E. Ailshie (Senior Vice President, Southern Packaging and Storage Company), W. Melvin Brown Jr. (President, American Development Corporation), Brigadier General John W. Donaldson, Don C. Garrison (President, Tri-County Technical College, Pendleton), James A. Grayson (President, Federal Employees Metal Trades Council of Charleston), Carl S. Holland (Vice President, American Development Corporation and President, Environmental Systems Development Corporation), John A. Mitchell (Business Editor, The State), Wesley E. Moore (President, Pantronics), James W. Neal (President, American Gear and Pinion Corporation) David A. and Howard A. Nilson (Nilson Van and Storage), Lieutenant General George M. Seignious II (The Citadel), W. M. ("Mat") Self (Vice President, Greenwood Mills) and General William C. Westmoreland.

Important individuals from the federal government represented in this series include Vice President Spiro Agnew (one letter); Senators Gordon J. Humphrey (NH), Henry M. Jackson (WA), Gale W. McGee (WY), Sam Nunn (GA), David Pryor (AR), James Sasser (TN), Hugh Scott (PA), Robert T. Stafford (VT), John C. Stennis (MS) and Ted Stevens (AK); U.S. Representative Melvin Price (IL); Secretary of State William P. Rogers; Secretaries of Defense Harold Brown and Caspar Willard Weinberger; Deputy Secretary of Defense Frank C. Carlucci II; Secretaries of the Army Howard H. ("Bo") Callaway, Robert F. Froehlke and Martin R. Hoffman; Secretaries of the Navy John H. Chafee, John Lehman, John O. Marsh Jr. and John M. Warner; Chairman of the Civil Service Commission Alan K. Campbell; and Melvin Laird.

Other important individuals in the series include author Edward L. Beach; General Mark Clark; Admirals Thomas H. Moorer and Hyman C. Rickover; National Association for Uniformed Services officials Max J. Beilke, Randolph Berkeley (both Legislative Counsels) and John P. Sheffey (Executive Vice President); Thurmond staffers Harry Dent and Ed Kenney; Theresa E. Alexander (Research Chairman, Society of Military Widows); Jean Arthurs (Legislative Director and President, National Association of Military Widows); and Jeanne A. Buchan (Co-ordinator, Ex-Partners of Servicemen (Women) for Equality [EXPOSE]).