If I understand correctly, you have these lines after each other in the letter:
Date
Name
Address1
Address2
Address3
If the date format is fixed, you can convert the letters, one by one, to a text file. Create a cursor with structure c(255), and append from the text file. Scan the cursor, and find the record which contains a legal date. The next record is the name you are looking for.
>July 12, 2007
>
>if i can find this I would be all set, because the name and address comes after it
>
>Peter
>
>>Hi,
>>
>>Not neccessarily impossible - though likely not to be easy.
>>