dead letter box
Clandestine message drop
A dead letter box is a secret location where messages or materials can be left for another person to retrieve later, allowing two parties to communicate without meeting directly.
The term comes from espionage tradecraft, where spies use prearranged hiding spots—a hollow tree, a loose brick, a public locker—to exchange information while minimizing risk of detection.
Also called a dead drop.
- dropFall or release
- spyCovert information gatherer
- field agentDeployed intelligence operative
- double agentSpy betraying their side
- covertIntentionally concealed
covert operation · tradecraft · intelligence · clandestine · hollow · hollow tree · stash · concealment · handler · agent · Moscow · Cold War · Berlin Wall · spy thriller · signal · exchange · secret · secret message
dead letter boxface-to-face meeting
live drop · brush pass · real-time communication · rendezvous · clandestine meeting
dead letter boxopen communication
Unrestricted exchange of information
official correspondence · public forum · registered post · broadcast · press conference
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