IF THE WRITER wants to make sure that his letter
is opened by the addressee and not by anybody else, then he can put 'Private' on the envelope. But this is not necessarily an intimation that the con- tents are for the addressee's eyes alone. The fact that I want to make sure that only X opens my letter does not necessarily mean that I want to stop him disclosing some of the information contained in it : if that is what is intended, then the letter should be marked 'Confidential' (the stock 'Private and Confidential' is surely supereroga- tory?). But, as I say, there does not appear to be any general agreement to use the terms in these senses; and I have come across people who are indignant at what they consider to be a breach of good faith when information they have given in a 'Personal' letter is disclosed. As this can cause embarrassment and even hardship, would it not be as well to have some more generally accepted ruling?
PHARtIS
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