Copyright 1993 Globe Newspaper Company
The Boston Globe
June 27, 1993, Sunday, First Edition
SECTION: NATIONAL/FOREIGN; Pg. 12
LENGTH: 286 words
HEADLINE: Warning issued on campuses
BYLINE: By Michael Rezendes
BODY:
After parcel bombs seriously injured professors at Yale University and the University of California at San Francisco last week, federal authorities and university police across the country issued instructions on how to recognize suspicious packages.
In the first place, officials said, packages need not be especially large to contain an explosive device. For example, the parcel bombs that blew up in the hands of California professor Charles Epstein and Yale professor David Gelernter were contained in 8 1/2-by-11-inch Manila envelopes apparently delivered by the US Postal Service.
To avoid injury, officials urged university personnel to use caution when opening any unexpected packages. They also said that packages should be regarded as suspicious if they appear lopsided, overwrapped or are marked with oily stains, excessive postage, unfamiliar return addresses or misspelled words.
According to a warning issued by Harvard University police, at least one of the parcel bombs that exploded last week bore the return address of James Hill. Hill is chairman of the chemistry department at California State University in Sacramento and is not considered a suspect in the Unabom case.
In addition, the warning said that one of the parcels contained a videocassette box, wood fragments, copper tubing and batteries and urged extreme caution when opening packages that seem to contain these materials.
Harvard University Police Lt. Larry Murphy also said he is urging university personnel to use common sense when opening their mail.
"Basically, if you're suspicious of a mailing and are unable to identify the contents or the sender, we're recommending that you do not open the package," he said.