MAIL CLASSIFICATION AND RATES: OFFICIAL MAIL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP67B00446R000500230008-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 23, 2003
• Sequence Number: 8
• Content Type: REGULATION

Approved For Release 2003/10/15: CIA-RDP67B00446R000500230008-4
Mail Classification and Rates.
Official Mail 137.251a
right corner of the address side the printed statement of the penalty of
misuse: Penalty for Private Use to Avoid Payment of Postage, $300. The
printed statement of the penalty for misuse may not be handwritten or
typewritten. They must also show, over the words Official Business in the
upper left corner of the address side, the name and address of the department,
bureau, office, or officer. The following markings are required, when
applicable:
a. Official mail of designated State extension directors must bear in the
upper left corner the name of the agricultural college and the name of
the post office at which the mail is to be accepted without prepayment of
postage, followed by the name and title of the designated officer and the
words Cooperative Agricultural Extension Work-Acts of May 8 and June
30, 1914.
b. Official mailings by agricultural experiment stations must bear in the upper
left corner of the address side the name of the station, the name of the post
office at which the matter is to be accepted, and the name and title of the
officer in charge of the station, followed by the word Publication. The
title of the bulletin or report may be used.
.233 Prepaid Postage
Official mail which is not sent as penalty mail or as postage and fees paid
mail must have postage prepaid. The regular rates and conditions apply
except that postage on official mail weighing over 4 pounds may be paid at
the fourth-class rates. See 137.251.
.24 USE
.241 The markings authorized on official mail in 137.23 may not be
placed on other mall to avoid payment of postage or special service fees.
.242 Any department or office authorized to use the official mail privilege
may furnish self-addressed envelopes or labels to persons or concerns for their
convenience in submitting official information desired by any U.S. Government
department or agency. Reply envelopes may not be furnished to bidders or
contractors, or to enable private persons or concerns to send without prepay-
ment of postage reports or other information which they are required by law
to make.
.243 The right of an officer to use the official mail privilege ceases im-
mediately on his going out of office.
.244 Official matter of those departments and agencies listed in 137.231b
that is marked Postage and Fees Paid (name of department or agency)
shall be given any special service, including airmail, when it is so marked
by the sender without requiring prepayment of postage or fees. See 221.242b
regarding international mail.
.245 Airmail and the special services may not be given official mail in
penalty envelopes without prepayment of air postage or prepayment of the
appropriate fee for the special service requested. EXCEPTION: Penalty
envelopes of a President-elect (Sec. 137.7) and those containing urgent of-
ficial communications of the Postal Service may be sent airmail without
prepayment of the postage. Official mail of the Postal Service may be sent as
registered, certified, or special delivery mail without prepayment of the post-
age or fees.
.25 WEIGHT AND SIZE LIMITS
.251 Weight
a. Penalty mail. No article or package of official matter, or number of
articles or packages of official matter, constituting in fact a single ship-
ment exceeding 4 pounds may be admitted to the mail under the penalty
privilege except stamped paper and supplies sold or used by the Postal
Service, and books or documents published or circulated by order of
 Approved For Release 2003/10/15: CIA-RDP67B00446R000500230008-4
Mail Classification and Rates:
137.25b Official Mail
Congress when mailed by the Superintendent of Documents, Official
matter In packages exceeding 4 pounds, if otherwise mailable, will be
accepted on payment of postage at the fourth-class rates within the
limits of weight prescribed for such matter, (See 135.31,) Such parcels
may be sealed or unsealed, and may include written matter when mailed
at those rates. Official matter of the Postal Service, and books and docu-
ments circulated by order of Congress when mailed by the Superintendent
of Documents, may weigh up to 70 pounds,
b. Postage and Fees Paid Mail. Maximum weight same as 135.31 except
airmail. See 136.3,
c. Prepaid Government Mail. Maximum weight same as 135.31 except air-
mail. See 136.3.
.252 Size, Shape, Ratio, and Sealing. The provisions of sections 122.3,
131.217, 131.32, 134.22, 134.32, 134.8, 135.32, and 136.32 apply.
137.3 MAIL SENT TO GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS
.31 CENSUS MAIL. All mail, of whatever class, relating to the census and
addressed to the Census Office, or to any official thereof, and endorsed
Official Business, Census Office, will be sent without prepayment of postage.
Such mail may not exceed 4 pounds. (See 137.21 regarding postage
reimbursement.) Mail sent by the Census Bureau of the Department of
Commerce or one of its officers in envelopes of that Bureau is subject to the
conditions in 137.231.
.32 IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE MAIL. All mall of whatever
class, relating to naturalization, including duplicate papers required by law
or regulation to be sent to the Service by clerks of courts addressed to the
Department of Justice or the Immigration and Naturalization Service, or
any official of either, and endorsed Official Business, will be transmitted
without prepayment of postage and marked Naturalization Papers. Mall
relating to naturalization may not exceed 4 pounds. (See 137.21 regarding
postage reimbursement.)
137.4 STATE EMPLOYMENT SECURITY MAILINGS
All mall of State employment security offices cooperating with the Depart-
ment of Labor that bears, in the upper left corner of the address side, the
words Official Business printed immediately below the name and address
of the State employment agency and, in the upper right corner, the words
Postage and Fees Paid, Employment Security Mail will be accepted without
prepayment of postage or fees, Postage and fees chargeable are collected
periodically under a special arrangement with the Post Office Department.
Such matter will be given the service indicated on the cover.
137.5 DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR MAIL
.51 DIPLOMATIC MAIL, All correspondence (written or printed) of members
of the Diplomatic Corps of the countries of the Postal Union of the Americas
and Spain stationed in the United States may be reciprocally transmitted in
the domestic mail without prepayment of postage. This correspondence may
not exceed 4 pounds in weight. The envelopes, cards, tags, wrappers, and
labels must show in the upper left corner of the address side the name of the
Ambassador or the Minister or the name of the Embassy or Legation, together
with the post office address; and in the upper right corner the inscription
Diplomatic Mail over the word Free. These inscriptions may be handwritten,
handstamped, or printed.