The Republic of Cuba (10)

During World War I, all the warring powers in Europe practiced censorship of the mails. Any information useful to the enemy was cut out of the letter, or blotted out with heavy ink. Letters were opened and read at special facilities established for that purpose. Generally the mail would be turned over to the censors for examination after it had been postmarked at the town of posting.

Vol II, p73: Castelnaudry, France to Manzanillo. 15 June, 1916.

In this case, the letter was posted at the town of Castelnaudary, in Aude province, France, on June 15, 1916. Forwarded to a military censor station, probably at Paris, it was slit open at the left side and the contents removed and read. If nothing useful to the Germans was found, the envelope was resealed with a gummed paper tape upon which was printed “Control Postal Militaire,” (Military Postal Control), and the paper tape was tied to the envelope by a strike of the censor’s handstamp reading “Ouvert/ Par l’Autorité Militaire/ 362.” In other words, it was opened by military authority by censor number 362.

Twenty-five centimes paid the U.P.U. international postage rate from France to Manzanillo, Cuba, for a single weight letter.