“Before man reaches the moon, mail will be delivered within hours from New York to California, to England, to India or to Australia by guided missiles,”
– Postmaster General Arthur E. Summerfield
The U.S. postal system has been an early adopter of newfangled — and even dangerous — modes of delivery: Airmail. Pneumatic tubes. The Pony Express. But perhaps no experiment was more out-there than missile mail.
On June 8, 1959, a guided missile loaded with 3,000 letters traveled more than 100 miles in 22 minutes when it was launched from a U.S. Navy submarine to Mayport, Florida.
Summerfield’s optimism was not borne out, however. While the trial was a success, guided missiles could not carry enough mail to make them an economically viable option.
PICTURED BELOW: Postmaster General Authur E. Summerfield, fourth from left, looks on as mail is loaded into the USS Barbero in Norfolk, VA, on June 8, 1959.