A secure method for sending register, authenticated electronic documents is disclosed. The sender sends a first set of data, not including the plaintext message, encrypted with the public key of the recipient, and a second set of data, including the plaintext message, encrypted with a session key which was included in the encrypted first set of data. The recipient is first asked if he wants to receive the message, and then, upon seeing an abstract, asked if he wants to receive the full message. Confirmatory data regarding the decryption of the message and the presentation of the data to the recipient is recorded and sent to an authentication agent.