Examined By Censor Cover

This 1944 cover has an "Examined by" tape around the left side. The sender "S. June" is also the addressee, and seems to have been a cover collector, because I have two other covers by him (one examined, one not). I don't really know anything about why covers had to be examined by a censor, but assumed they were only those to or from military personnel. Can anyone tell me why this cover needed to be examined by a censor? Was it simply routine for some locales? Or time periods? Thanks.

The US was still at war with Germany and Japan in May of 1944, and Japan held one of the Aleutian Island chain (northwest tip of Alaska)

Granted we were still at war, but did all civilian mail go through the hands of censors? Especially in remote Alaskan towns like Chicken and Fort Yukon?

Examiner 20002 was a censor of philatelic mail, based in the New Yor City censorship office. Examiners 9800 through 9849 were also examiners who examined philatelic mail.

Virtually ALL civilian mail leaving the USA was subject to censorship. Philatelic mail was of interest because it "might" contain philatelic materials - e.g., mint stamps -- that were generally prohibited in mail outside the USA because they might financially aid an enemy.

Some dealers were provided with export license identification which allowed them to send stamps and materials outside the USA without mandatory censorship, but such mail was certainly subject to censorship to make sure they were following regulations.

Mike

Very interesting. And helpful.
Was this censored because Alaska was separated from the US mainland?
In other words, because in traveling thru International waters, the cover technically left the country?

I'm only guessing here, but I suspect that because the "air mail" service was only provided for the actual "event" (there is only the 3 cent stamp), it was not returned to the individual who prepared the cover by Air Mail, but by ordinary surface mail, which probably involved some travel through Canada, this making it "suspect".

Or by ship from Alaska to Seattle, then by surface to New York.

This is not an area where I have "deep" expertise. Perhaps someone else can jump in with more detailed explanations.

Mike

Chicken and Fort Yukon are 198 miles apart. and probably had to be flown for that leg.

Here is another cover I have a question about. Instead of the censor's tape, it has a circular rubber stamp with the words "passed by censor". This cover has three postmarks, spanning about 14 months (if the dates are actually correct), which is a very long time in transit just within Alaska.

I did a bit of research, and learned that the official censorship regulations weren't formally approved until April 13, 1942, and the Philatelic Unit wasn't established until November 23, 1942. This cover appears to have been initially postmarked on March 26, 1941, before the US entered the war, so it wouldn't have needed a censor at that time. But the other two dates (April 29 and May 28 of 1942) are after the US involvement in the war.

Now my question: Is the circular rubber censor stamp what was in use before the Philatelic Unit came into being?

I wonder how the cover spent its time during the year-long break between postmarks?

healthy:

The primary reference for this type of material is Civil Censorship in the United States During World War II,, by Wilfrid Broderick and Dann Mayo, 1980. I believe that this book is still available as a PDF from the Civil Censorship Study Group for a fee. Check their website if you want "the" reference for US censorship during WW2. It's invaluable, and thorough.

At page 53 of that book, I found your green marking identified as Type C.1.1.1, and on the preceding page, there is a note that it was used at Seattle between Dec 1941 and May 1942, and known with only Green ink, which matches your date and cover. They list several Examiners who used this style of marking, including those in the range 3513 - 3533.

This is not a philatelic censor marking. Seattle makes perfect sense as the cover likely traveled by ship down the Canadian coast to Seattle, where it was censored and inserted into the ordinary mail stream.

The US was censoring mail from Hawaii at San Francisco almost immediately following Pearl Harbor. Things were pretty chaotic in the beginning. Formal censorship did not really get started until 1942, as you mentioned.

I don't know what to make of the delay between the original 1941 date stamp and the later one from April 29 and May 23. I suspect that when the cover was sent to be serviced for the particular flight in 1941, there was some delay and the envelope held over until the following spring when the flight could be made. The other possibility is the 4B cancel with the Mar 24 1941 was a clerk error, and should have been "1942".

I would not be surprised if there is a section on these flights in one of the American Air Mail Catalogs, but I don't have the one that covers this topic. A catalog might also explain that date mis-match.

This flight would have been two legs of route 13, but it is not listed as a first flight. The last one for Alaska was in 1938.

The original cover would have been six legs of route 3.

Thanks all, this is really great information.
Regarding the book Civil Censorship in the United States During World War II, I just downloaded a pdf copy for free at the Military Postal History Society: http://militaryphs.org/publications.html
It is indeed a great book. I continue to be amazed at the work done in the past by all the knowledgeable philatelists who preceded us.

Thank you for posting that download link. I was not aware of it.

MikeL

Volume 5, 5th edition of the AAMC contains the Alaskan Flights section. Chicken, AK was part of Route 13 and is located just west of the Canadian border southeast of Fairbanks. This section lists only flights that would not be listed otherwise in the catalogue. The catalogue lists no flights between 1941 and 1950 in the Alaska Flights section.
The first listing for Chicken is October 9, 1933 from Fairbanks to Chicken, which as probably the initial service from Fairbanks to Chicken via Route 13.
I would concur that the year slug is most likely incorrect on the CHICKEN, AK hand stamp and should be 1942. Some of these flights occured only several times a year, and this cover may be from the first service in 1942, the year not being changed.
The American Air Mail Society has almost all of its journals digitalized now with access from their website. A search for early 1940s Alaskan flights articles might provide more information.

That stamp was issued July 4th 1942. For the original cover.