An electronic message retrieval system in which the electronic message,
and any corresponding attachments, can be encrypted by the sender of the
message and routed to the intended recipient, even if the intended
recipient is in a mobile location or it is otherwise inconvenient for the
recipient to receive the electronic message in the form in which it was
sent. The system provides an alarm or indication to the intended
recipient, wherever he or she is, that a message has been delivered, an
indication of the subject of the message and who sent the message, and
whether the message is encrypted. The intended recipient then has the
choice of deferring retrieval of the message until a later time when he
or she can log onto a secure system and decrypt the message
conventionally, or providing the system with a password or "key" which
will permit the system to decrypt the message, convert it into a format
retrievable by the mobile recipient, i.e., audible format for phone
delivery, facsimile data for fax delivery, etc., and deliver the message
to the mobile recipient.