Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
• First I would like know just what went missing when someone amputated about 5 cm off the left end of the envelope, which originally would have been slightly deeper but somewhat shorter than a #10 envelope. I believe that the complete return address would have read thus (boldface print indicates the probable words and punctuation that are missing):
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OPERATIONS MISSION
(SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC MISSION)
SAIGON – VIETNAM
Do any Stamporama members have any similar covers? Not likely, but I thought it worth asking. Perhaps someone is more knowledgeable than I am about U.S.O.M. It’s difficult find anything on line. A staggering number of civil and military “missions" have been mounted over the years by the United States.
• I would like to know more about the cancellation of this cover. First, some information about the stamp:
The stamp, Vietnam Scott #9, pictures the Emperor Bao-Dai, the last emperor of Vietnam.
Bao Dai (22 October 1913-30 July 1997) was the Emperor of Nguyen dynasty-era Vietnam from 8 January 1926 to 25 August 1945 … and Chief of State from 13 June 1949 to 26 October 1955 … preceding Ngo Dinh Diem. He ruled over the French protectorate of Annam before being made the puppet ruler of French Indochina, not that he actually had any power since the French would not leave Vietnam until June, 1956. Upon Vietnamese independence, Bao Dai was exiled to France where he married a French woman and lived up to his reputation as a playboy. Ngo Dinh Diem, elected in what amounted to a fake election, ruled Vietnam with an iron hand, lining the pockets of his family and powerful Catholics, and utterly failing— refusing! — to order the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Viet Nam) to confront the communist forces of Ho Chi Minh. He was assassinated by political enemies in 1963, with the reluctant approval of President John F. Kennedy.
Now about that cancellation: My understanding — and please let me know if I’m correct, or not — is that American diplomats could use the postage stamps of the country to which they were assigned, but their mail was transported by diplomatic pouch rather than in the international mainstream. The envelopes would be cancelled at their destination, in this case Washington, D.C. Note the rubber stamp impression, “This article originally mailed in country indicated by postage”. Apparently it was up to postal clerks in Washington cancel the stamp and send the letter on to its destination, Baltimore, Maryland. Am I on the right track here?
Over to you.
Bob
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01:36:06am
"Am I on the right track here?"
Almost. The only thing I would change is from "American diplomats could use the postage stamps of the country" to "were required to use the stamps of the country".
I have sold these covers regularly, from all over the world, for 25 years. This cover is what I call a "Diplomatic bag cover". As a courtesy to the host country, it was US Foreign Service policy to apply the postage of the host country to items that were carried in the diplomatic pouch and were intended to be forwarded to the US mail stream from Washington onward. The object of the policy was to not deprive the host country of the postal revenue.
The handstamp was applied in Washington so that US postal carriers would not reject this US cancelled mail as being improperly paid by an invalid foreign stamp. The handstamp changed over the years.
I can't offer any info on the return address at this time.
Here are three other Vietnam diplomatic bag covers from my "Sold" records:
And here is the oldest diplomatic bag cover that I have sold, from Norway in 1917:
As an aside, the idea of a diplomatic "bag" or "pouch" generates an incorrect image of a carrier transporting a single pouch, or mail bag. In fact, the "pouch" could be an entire pallet or even shipping container of such protected freight.
Roy
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I need some help with this cover, posted in 1954 by a member of the United States Operations Mission in Vietnam, a civilian organization funded by the American government to foster social and economic growth in Vietnam and to assist the South Vietnamese government in fighting the communist insurgency led by Ho Chi Minh.
• First I would like know just what went missing when someone amputated about 5 cm off the left end of the envelope, which originally would have been slightly deeper but somewhat shorter than a #10 envelope. I believe that the complete return address would have read thus (boldface print indicates the probable words and punctuation that are missing):
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OPERATIONS MISSION
(SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC MISSION)
SAIGON – VIETNAM
Do any Stamporama members have any similar covers? Not likely, but I thought it worth asking. Perhaps someone is more knowledgeable than I am about U.S.O.M. It’s difficult find anything on line. A staggering number of civil and military “missions" have been mounted over the years by the United States.
• I would like to know more about the cancellation of this cover. First, some information about the stamp:
The stamp, Vietnam Scott #9, pictures the Emperor Bao-Dai, the last emperor of Vietnam.
Bao Dai (22 October 1913-30 July 1997) was the Emperor of Nguyen dynasty-era Vietnam from 8 January 1926 to 25 August 1945 … and Chief of State from 13 June 1949 to 26 October 1955 … preceding Ngo Dinh Diem. He ruled over the French protectorate of Annam before being made the puppet ruler of French Indochina, not that he actually had any power since the French would not leave Vietnam until June, 1956. Upon Vietnamese independence, Bao Dai was exiled to France where he married a French woman and lived up to his reputation as a playboy. Ngo Dinh Diem, elected in what amounted to a fake election, ruled Vietnam with an iron hand, lining the pockets of his family and powerful Catholics, and utterly failing— refusing! — to order the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Viet Nam) to confront the communist forces of Ho Chi Minh. He was assassinated by political enemies in 1963, with the reluctant approval of President John F. Kennedy.
Now about that cancellation: My understanding — and please let me know if I’m correct, or not — is that American diplomats could use the postage stamps of the country to which they were assigned, but their mail was transported by diplomatic pouch rather than in the international mainstream. The envelopes would be cancelled at their destination, in this case Washington, D.C. Note the rubber stamp impression, “This article originally mailed in country indicated by postage”. Apparently it was up to postal clerks in Washington cancel the stamp and send the letter on to its destination, Baltimore, Maryland. Am I on the right track here?
Over to you.
Bob
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
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02 Jun 2025
01:36:06am
re: An early diplomatic cover from Vietnam
"Am I on the right track here?"
Almost. The only thing I would change is from "American diplomats could use the postage stamps of the country" to "were required to use the stamps of the country".
I have sold these covers regularly, from all over the world, for 25 years. This cover is what I call a "Diplomatic bag cover". As a courtesy to the host country, it was US Foreign Service policy to apply the postage of the host country to items that were carried in the diplomatic pouch and were intended to be forwarded to the US mail stream from Washington onward. The object of the policy was to not deprive the host country of the postal revenue.
The handstamp was applied in Washington so that US postal carriers would not reject this US cancelled mail as being improperly paid by an invalid foreign stamp. The handstamp changed over the years.
I can't offer any info on the return address at this time.
Here are three other Vietnam diplomatic bag covers from my "Sold" records:
And here is the oldest diplomatic bag cover that I have sold, from Norway in 1917:
As an aside, the idea of a diplomatic "bag" or "pouch" generates an incorrect image of a carrier transporting a single pouch, or mail bag. In fact, the "pouch" could be an entire pallet or even shipping container of such protected freight.
Roy
4 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.