University of Virginia Library

A Chilling Reality

Commentary

If in no other area, the Postal Service is extremely efficient
at public relations. Entering the main office building in
Washington, D.C., as a reporter, I encountered smiling
secretaries and a public relations man eager to give me any
official literature that I desired. My first impression was a good
one.

Director of Program Control Peter A. Del Grosso was there
to give me the official view on national problems, to express
hopes for the future, and to explain away deficiencies. He is
very good at his job, because even when I brought up
embarrassing incidents, he kept a low-key approach, refusing to
get excited , trying to offer rational explanations.

The transcript of the interview revealed Mr. Del Grosso's
skill at evasiveness, however. Obviously, service is bad, and all
Mr. Del Grosso could offer were promises that it would get
better soon. He gave the impression that nothing was seriously
wrong, and none of the existing problems were especially
threatening.

As I got out of the office building and talked to other
postal workers, the picture worsened. Many employees
recognized that service was degenerating before 1970, and
most supported the Postal Reform Act. But watching the
situation deteriorate since the reforms has spurred them to be
candid and outspoken, pinpointing troublespots they could see
from practical experience