POSTAL HISTORY: Missile Mail

“Before man reaches the moon, mail will be delivered within hours from New York to California, to England, to India or to Australia by guided missiles,”
               - Postmaster General Arthur E. Summerfield 

The U.S. postal system has been an early adopter of newfangled — and even dangerous — modes of delivery: Airmail. Pneumatic tubes. The Pony Express. But perhaps no experiment was more out-there than missile mail.

On June 8, 1959, a guided missile loaded with 3,000 letters traveled more than 100 miles in 22 minutes when it was launched from a U.S. Navy submarine to Mayport, Florida.

Summerfield’s optimism was not borne out, however. While the trial was a success, guided missiles could not carry enough mail to make them an economically viable option.

PICTURED BELOW: Postmaster General Authur E. Summerfield, fourth from left, looks on as mail is loaded into the USS Barbero in Norfolk, VA, on June 8, 1959.

Postmaster General Authur E. Summerfield, fourth from left, looks on as mail is loaded into the USS Barbero in Norfolk, VA, on June 8, 1959.
Caption