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The following procedures apply
to mailing classified materials:
TOP SECRET material may not be
sent through the mail under any circumstances. It must be transmitted by cleared courier
or approved electronic means.
SECRET material may be
transmitted by U.S. Postal Service registered mail within and between the United States
and its territories. It may be sent through U.S. Postal Service registered mail through
Army, Navy, or Air Force Postal Service facilities outside the United States, provided
that the information does not at any time pass out of U.S. citizen control and does not
pass through a foreign postal system or any foreign inspection. Under no circumstances
shall the USPS Express Mail label 11-B "Waiver of Signature and Indemnity" be
used.
CONFIDENTIAL material is
subject to the same mailing procedures as Secret material, with one exception.
Government agencies (but not contractors) may send Confidential material by first class,
certified, or express mail rather than registered mail. The outer envelope should be
marked "Do Not Forward. Return to Sender." Under no circumstances shall the USPS
Express Mail label 11-B "Waiver of Signature and Indemnity" be used. Contractors
must follow the same procedures as for Secret material.
Classified material should be
mailed at the post office. Use of street mail collection boxes is prohibited.
Wrapping
All classified material must be
double-wrapped with opaque inner and outer covers. It shall be marked as follows:
Mark the inner envelope top
and bottom on both sides, preferably in red, with the classification in capital letters. A
box with classified material should be marked with the classification on all surfaces of
the inner wrapping.
On the outer envelope, write
the complete mailing address and return address. Classified mail or shipments should
usually be addressed to the Commander or other head of the organization by title, not by
name, or to an approved classified mailing address of a federal activity or to a cleared
contractor using the name and classified mailing address of the facility. An
individual's name should not appear on the outer envelope unless the material is intended
for the individual personally, and you are certain the person has not been transferred. Do
not indicate on the outer envelope that it contains classified information.
For Official Use Only is not a
classification. Such material may be mailed in a single envelope.
Receipts
A receipt identifying the
sender, the addressee, and the document should be attached to or enclosed in the inner
envelope as noted below. The receipt shall contain no classified information.
It should be signed and returned to the sender.
Top Secret material must be
transmitted under a continuous chain of receipts covering each individual who obtains
custody.
For Secret material, a
classified material receipt must be included with all material transmitted outside the
facility.
For Confidential material, a
receipt must be included only if the sender deems it necessary, or if the information is
being transmitted to a foreign government.
Hand-Carrying
Classified Material
For hand-carrying classified material,
different procedures apply for surface transportation, commercial air, government air, and
for transportation outside the continental U.S.
| If you personally transport classified material by car
or foot to another location, you must provide reasonable protection for the information
under all foreseeable contingencies that might occur while in transit. Automobile accident, theft and sudden illness are all
foreseeable contingencies. This means the classified information must be double wrapped or
packaged as though it were being sent by mail, kept under your constant control (i.e., not
left in the trunk of your car while you run another errand), and delivered only to an
authorized person. A briefcase may serve as the outer wrapper only if it is locked.
Prepare an inventory of the material and leave it in your office.
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Carrying
classified material on trips that involve an overnight stopover is not permitted without
advance arrangements for overnight storage in a U.S. Government office or a cleared
contractor facility. |
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