U.S. mail, provided it does not pass out of U.S. control and does not enter a foreign postal service. It may also be transmitted electrically in unencrypted form over U.S. Government-owned or leased land lines.

Restricted data and formerly restricted data are transmitted according to the classification assigned.

Transmission of For Official Use Only Mail

Documents designated FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY are transmitted in the same manner as unclassified mail. Material of this type may not have any special marking; although, if marking is desirable, it may be added by persons other than the originator to help protect it. Disclosure of information that may be appropriately limited to official use, even though such material is unmarked, is covered by Navy Regulations, Article 1252.

The main thing you should remember is that FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY information should be disclosed only to persons who need to know it for their official duties. For you, it means that you will disclose it only when and as directed by persons above you in the chain of command. In other words, the fact that a person might be a senior petty officer or a commissioned officer would not entitle that person to require disclosure of information in the FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY category if the individual were in a different organization. If there is doubt of another's right to see a document, it should be explained politely that under these circumstances the material is not allowed to be shown. If the individual persists in the request, tactfully refer him to someone senior in the chain of command.

Handling Incoming Mail

You may be assigned to handle incoming mail in your department, Therefore, you need to be familiar with departmental incoming mail- handling procedures.

The volume of mail received by naval activities makes it desirable to eliminate unnecessary operations whenever possible. However, it is important to ensure that adequate records of all important correspondence are maintained. Experience and judgment are required to determine which mail need not be controlled, which should be controlled, and how the necessary controls can be maintained most effectively.

The procedures that take place when official mail arrives at the maintenance office are always basically the same. Mail is sorted and opened, routed, and controlled (when appropriate).

Upon receipt, mail is given an initial sorting that separates mail to be routed without opening from mail that is opened before being routed. Mail not to be opened is sorted into the compartments of a sorting box for direct delivery to the proper division. Personal mail and certain types of official mail are sorted in this fashion. Personal mail requiring directory service is set aside for further attention. Mail to be opened goes into a large compartment or is merely placed to one side and dealt with later.

The use of sorting compartments makes it faster and easier to mark mail than if you marked an office code on each letter. When all the mail for any one office is sorted, one marking or folder will do for all the mail.

Personally addressed mail falls into two categories-purely personal mail and personally addressed official mail. You should discourage the reception of personally addressed mail at the office, because it interfers with handling of official mail. Personally addressed official correspondence is harder to route and control; therefore, it is not encouraged. However, a certain amount of such mail is received and delivered unopened.

Official mail is routed without opening whenever possible. If information on the envelope does not clearly indicate the organizational subdivision, official mail is opened so it can be routed.

After opening, the mail is again sorted. At this time, routine mail (that which presents no special problem) is separated from nonroutine mail. The sorter does not read further than the address line, or at most the subject line, so only readily identifiable items are handled as routine. This represents the bulk of the mail.

Mail requiring priority handling is delivered promptly. Routine mail that can go directly to the action office without other routing and control is also delivered right away.

Mail that remains for the third sorting includes mail for which the action addressee is not readily determined and mail that is likely to require control. The main purpose for the third sorting is to separate mail requiring controls.

Mail that does not require controlling is routed without the use of a route slip or mail control form. The office code and file symbol are placed on the letter itself. When routing mail that goes