Above: Mail Call: Spc. Creashon Laskey hands Pvt. Michael Bailey a package at the Task Force Phantom mail room in Camp Victory, Iraq during August 2007.

The 2008 Winton M. Blount Postal History Symposium jointly sponsored by the Smithsonian National Postal Museum and the American Philatelic Society was held in the museum's Blount conference room on September 26 and 27, 2008. It was the third annual national conference for academic scholars, philatelists, and industry experts for discussion of research into the history of postal organizations and systems. The theme for the 2008 Symposium was war and the mail, broadly interpreted to include everything related to defense and the postal system in all countries and eras. Postal topics are usually framed in peaceful terms: mail “binds the nation together” by enabling commerce and encouraging technological development, while stamps are “works of art in miniature” or “little paper ambassadors” of national culture and achievement. Often overlooked is the fact that when a nation goes to war, its stamps and postal system are always an integral part of the mobilization—and the relief effort.

The subjects there were explored include:

• Logistics of transporting mail to and within theaters of operation;
• The intricate web of policies, regulations, and treaties that govern the movement of overseas military mail;
• The move to privatize and outsource military mail delivery;
• War letters as primary historical documents;
• Mail from and to prisoners of war; concentration camp victims; internees;
• Overt and covert censorship of civilian and military mail in times of war and civil disturbance;
• Unusual methods of delivery employed in wartime, e.g. pigeon post; balloon mail; V-Mail and airgraphs;
• Stamps (including forgeries) and covers as instruments of propaganda;
• The "Farm-to-Table" Postal Delivery program;
• The role of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Sponsors

THE SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL POSTAL MUSEUM – The National Postal Museum is devoted to presenting the colorful and engaging history of the nation’s mail service and showcasing the largest and most comprehensive collection of stamps and philatelic material in the world. The museum uses exhibits, public programs and research as well as its Web sites to make this rich history available to visitors, collectors and scholars from around the world. In addition, the Smithsonian Institution Libraries collection at the National Postal Museum Library includes more than 40,000 publications and documents. The National Postal Museum is located at 2 Massachusetts Ave. N.E., across from Union Station, and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

AMERICAN PHILATELIC SOCIETY – With 44,000 members in more than 110 countries, the American Philatelic Society (APS) is the largest society in the world for stamp collectors. Whether you are a beginning collector or have years of philatelic experience, the APS and its American Philatelic Research Library offer a variety of services and educational opportunities to broaden your personal collection and enhance your special collecting interests!

Organizing Committee

Virginia L. Horn, American Philatelic Research Library
David L. Straight, American Philatelic Society
Tom Lera, Smithsonian National Postal Museum

Media only: Meradyth Moore, Public Affairs Officer, Smithsonian National Postal Museum
phone: 202.633.5509
email: mooreme@si.edu

All other inquiries please contact a member of the Organizing Committee.