Dead Issue, Dead Letters

During the ill-starred attempt to swap 500 U.S. tractors for 1,214 Cuban prisoners held by Fidel Castro, many a U.S. citizen wondered just how such a deal could possibly benefit the U.S. But last week it seemed that the unsuccessful effort might show a curious profit after all. As a result of fund appeals by the Tractors for Freedom Committee, the Detroit post office was showered with 60,000 pieces of mail. When negotiations bogged down (TIME, June 30), the committee ordered the letters returned. So far, 56,000 that bore return addresses have been sent back unopened, and the committee will never know how much money it actually collected. The remaining letters have been sent to the dead letter office to be opened by postal employees. If the contents contain a clue to the sender, they will be returned. If not, unclaimed funds will go to the U.S. Treasury.

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