|
ASM REVISION
Mail Addressed to Santa Claus or the North
Pole
Effective August 4, 2005, the Administrative
Support Manual (ASM) is revised to allow the Postal ServiceTM or
an authorized party to open, read, and respond to or contact the sender
of mail addressed to Santa Claus or the North Pole, or similar seasonal
characters or destinations, and which would otherwise be undeliverable
as addressed. This provision is consistent with prior orders and regulations,
such as Postmaster General Order no. 6690 from 1912, which authorized
postmasters to deliver letters addressed to Santa Claus to responsible
institutions to use for philanthropic purposes, and former Domestic
Mail Manual section 159.412Q (issue 118, 1987), which contained similar
instructions. The regulation further gives effect to longstanding practices
by local postmasters regarding such letters.
We will incorporate these revisions into the next
printed version of the ASM, and also into the online version, available
on the Postal Service PolicyNet Web site:
• Go to http://blue.usps.gov.
• Under "Essential Links" in the
left-hand column, click on References.
• Under "References" in the right-hand
column, under "Policies," click on PolicyNet.
• Click on Manuals.
|
Administrative Support Manual (ASM)
* * * * *
2 Audits and Investigations
* * * * *
27 Security
* * * * *
274 Mail Security
* * * * *
274.5 Disclosure of Information
Collected From Mail Sent or Received by Customers
***Only under the following conditions may an employee
disclose information while performing official duties:
* * * * *
[Revise item k and add item l to read as follows:]
k. The Postal Service or authorized
third party may open, read, and respond to mail, or contact the sender,
regarding correspondence that is addressed to "Santa Claus,"
"the North Pole," or similar seasonal characters or destinations
and which would otherwise be undeliverable as addressed.
I. If otherwise permitted by law.
* * * * *
— Consumer Advocate, 8-4-05
|
