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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!rutgers!brl-adm!seismo!mcvax!ukc!stc!andrew
From: andrew@stc.co.uk
Newsgroups: net.internat
Subject: Re: postage for mail to foreign countries
Message-ID: <1057@bute.tcom.stc.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 5-Nov-86 18:31:13 EST
Article-I.D.: bute.1057
Posted: Wed Nov  5 18:31:13 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 8-Nov-86 06:37:11 EST
References: <1275@ttrdc.UUCP> <2203@orca.TEK.COM>
Reply-To: andrew@stc.UUCP (Andrew Macpherson)
Organization: STC Telecoms, Harlow Technical Center, England CM20 2DE.
Lines: 28
Keywords: Tall tales, insured mail, a `legal' scam

In article <2203@orca.TEK.COM> alanj@orca.UUCP (Alan Jeddeloh) writes:
| Almost all countries of the world are members of the International Postal
| Federation, which was set up in the last century to deal with that exact
| problem.  (Gad, I hope I have the name right!)  Prior to the establishment
| of the IPF, each country had to establish separate treaties with every
| other country in the world!
| 
| The IPF is basically a multi-way international treaty that says "I'll
| deliver your mail if you deliver mine, and we'll settle the difference."
| There are various minimum standards, such as the receiving country is
| not supposed to interfere with mail to its citizens, something that
| the USSR is frequntly accused of.
| 
	These treaties are so much to everyones advantage that the
recipient country will guarantee to deliver insured mail. --- there
is an Italian professor of politics who is single-handedly trying to
bankrupt the Soviets...
	The scheme is this: pick a `well known' Soviet dissident
and send him letters of encouragement insured, and requiring proof of
delivery.  When after a few months you still have not had your confirmation
of delivery, wander down to your post office and collect your insurance
(say $200).  Your post office will then claim it back from the SU
-- 
Regards,
	Andrew Macpherson.  <andrew@tcom.stc.co.uk>  {backbone}!ukc!stc!andrew

"Sometimes a majority simply means all the fools are on one side"
	--- Christian Science Monitor