Subseries 1B: Sampled Correspondence, consists of a sample of letters and clippings received by Adlai E. Stevenson during and following his two unsuccessful presidential campaigns, as well as during his tenure as U.N. ambassador. The majority of the letters were written by supporters, including loyal Democrats, those who identified with Stevenson, female admirers, and young fans. Stevenson's responses range from personalized to form letters, with the majority taking the latter form. The responses were often written and signed by staff members such as Carol Evans or William McC. Blair, Jr., although some were signed by the Governor himself.
The bulk of the correspondence is arranged chronologically by year, then alphabetically by the last name of the correspondent. Some of the correspondence pertaining to his presidential campaigns has been arranged by state. State files are arranged by the correspondent's state of residence, then alphabetically within each folder. The sampled correspondence, primarily letters received from the general public, was reduced by ninety percent by employing standard statistical sampling methods.