Page 2 - Sutclifffe-APD_USNavy

U. S. NAVY AND MARINE CORPS CENSORSHIP
HANDSTAMPS AXD POSTMARKS.

Because of the inter-relationship of some o~ the U.S. Navy
censorship markings with other U.S. Navy markings and the

daters used by various uni-ts, both the handstalllps and the
postmarks have been dealt with in the same section.
This section deals only with the markings used by U.S.

Navy units based on JaMaica, an.d nowadays it is not uncollunon
to find a foreign power with bases in another ~ountry. The
establishment of the United S-tates bases in the West Indies,

before that country entered the war, arose £rom the military
and. political s-ituation :following -the :tall of Prance, and. the

depletion of the "Royal Navy after J)unkirk. He.nce the
United Kingd0m an.d -the United states entered into the now
famous "Lease Lend" agreement whereby in exchange :ror

destroyers for bases the United States was granted leases of
c~rtain areas in the Caribbean to es-tablish bases to protect
ihe mainland. AMongst the many rights included in this

agreemen-t , which wa.s signed on the 2.7-th March, ~941, was the
right for the U.S. Government to establish its own post
offices and censorship :facilities at these. base..s, some of

which were establishea at ~amaica.
The £irst U.S. personnel ~o ~rive at Jamaica were a

marine cetachment 1o act as security guard £or the naval air
station to be. cons-tructed at Portland :Bight, near Old liarbour.
This detachment and the civilian consiruction firm actually

landed, by arra~ement, on -the 15th March, 1941, prior to the
.signing of the agreement.

'rhe ai:r station was constructed by -the. Frederick Snare
Corporation, whi ch for security Teasons had a naval censor
attached io its s1aff, who censo~ed the oui going mail from
the head o:f£ice based at Kings~on. ~e censorship