|
The following procedures apply to mailing
or carrying classified materials. These procedures cover the most common
circumstances but do not cover the shipment of bulky materials. It is
intended as general guidance only and is not a substitute for review of the
official regulations.
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 or express mail within and between the United
States and its territories. However, the "Waiver of Signature and
Indemnity" block on the Express Mail Label 11-B may not be executed, and
the use of external (street side) express mail collection boxes is
prohibited. SECRET material 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. Federal Express may also be used for SECRET
material for urgent, overnight delivery only, but contractors must receive
approval from their government contracting authority to use this
method.
CONFIDENTIAL material is subject to the
same mailing procedures as Secret material, with the following
exceptions: 1) CONFIDENTIAL material may be sent by U.S. Certified mail
rather than by U.S. Registered mail. 2) Government agencies (but not
contractors) may also send CONFIDENTIAL material by First Class mail between
and among government agencies only. It cannot be sent to contractors via
First Class mail. Under all circumstances, 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.
Classified material must 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.
· Write the complete mailing address and complete
return address on the inner envelope. The address on the inner envelope
should have the name of an appropriately cleared individual.
· On the outer envelope, write the complete mailing
address and return address. Do not indicate on the outer envelope that it
contains classified information. Classified mail or shipments should be
addressed to the Administrator 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. Instead of a person's name, use office code letters, numbers,
or phrases in an attention line to aid in internal routing. When necessary to
direct material to the attention of a particular individual, put the
individual's name on an attention line in the letter of transmittal or on the
inner container or wrapper.
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 and
approved for carrying classified material. Prepare an inventory of the
material and leave one copy in your office and another copy with a security
officer or other responsible person.
|
|
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.
|
|