Later that night, Mr. Vilsack was forwarded Mrs. Sherrod's official resignation, which again included her defense. She said she felt "so disappointed" by the decision that she was asked to resign because of a misrepresentation of her words, and she urged them all to look at the full tape of her speech, which was not yet available. She noted she did everything she could to save the white farmer's farm and said he became a good friend.
"I submit my resignation but in doing so want to put the administration on notice that I will get the whole story out," she wrote in the e-mail to Ms. Cook that was forwarded to Mr. Vilsack. "My whole life speaks to my commitment to fairness whether white or black."
The next morning, Mr. Vilsack wrote an e-mail to top officials at the department saying he wanted to send an e-mail to every employee at USDA "that reaffirms our commitment to a USDA that has no tolerance for discrimination in any form by anyone."
In statements sent out by the department's press office that day, Mr. Vilsack continued to stand by his decision. Officials worked to squash the story as Mrs. Sherrod made television appearances and said she was treated unfairly.
"Hope still that this is a one day story," wrote Chris Mather, USDA director of communications, in an e-mail to other aides. Mr. Mather issued talking points to staff with the note "Key here is to say as little as possible. This story will go away unless there is a reason for the press to talk about it more."
In the talking points, officials are urged to answer any questions about the video being taken out of context by saying it is "our duty to instill confidence in the American people that we are fair service providers."
In the early hours of July 20, the White House complimented the department for handling Mrs. Sherrod's dismissal so quickly. "Just wanted you to know that this dismissal came up at our morning staff meeting today," wrote Christopher Lu, White House liaison to the Cabinet, to Mr. Vilsack's chief of staff and deputy chief of staff. "Everyone complemented USDA on how quickly you took this action. It's an unpleasant story, but getting on top of this fast blunts any traction it will get."
But the tables quickly turned. As the day wore on and Mrs. Sherrod made her case on television, more questions were raised about the context of the speech. After the full video was released by the NAACP that night, Mr. Vilsack decided to reverse the decision.
USDA declined to release Mr. Vilsack's phone logs. But the e-mails refer to Mr. Vilsack's conversations with top White House aides and black leaders, including Jesse Jackson, the evening of July 20 as he decided whether to reverse his initial decision.
Some of the e-mails are redacted by USDA in the release, though most are not. As officials e-mailed their concerns over the affair, it is clear they knew their words may eventually be read and kept many of their negotiations offline.
