Red despatch boxes were issued to Ministers to transport official documents. According to Mr Heng Swee Keat, Mr Lee’s Principal Private Secretary from 1997 to 2000, although the red boxes were used by ministers in the earlier years of government, Mr Lee was possibly the only person in the government that used his red boxes consistently through the years. Mr Lee used his red boxes for all documents and notes to be transported to and from his personal secretaries, including outstanding to-do documents, draft letters for typing out and for clearance, as well as cassette tapes containing his dictated instructions to his secretaries for transcription and follow-up, or clean cassettes for re-use. The red box was thus frequently transported between Mr Lee's residence and his office. Mr Lee kept one key to the box, and another key was kept by the secretaries.Prior to 1999, there were 5 red boxes in Mr Lee’s office which were rotated for daily use.
