V-mail
Subject
Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Scope Note: A method of correspondence developed during World War II that allowed US civilians and military personnel abroad to communicate. The system was based on letter-sheets designed to fold into envelopes, and which allowed only for brief texts. After mailing, V-Mail letters were reviewed by censors, photographically reduced on microfilm, and sent to processing centers overseas where facsimiles were reproduced at one-quarter their original size. These facsimiles were then delivered to the addressee. The system allowed for the reduction of shipping space needed for war materials, and speeded delivery by air rather than by sea.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Elmer F. Kern, Jr. papers
Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSA 394
Scope and Contents
The Elmer F. Kern, Jr. papers contain more than four hundred and fifty letters, including twenty-four v-mail letters, written to and from Kern and loved ones. In his letters to family members and friends, he describes his life in vivid details from when he was a student at Purdue University, from his different assignments in the Air Corps, and until his death in Germany. His letters show the different envelopes represent the numerous places he has been with different sender addresses and types...
Dates:
1938 - 1945