A Letter With Powder Shakes Up N.Y. Times
A floor of the New York Times offices was shut down for several hours Friday after a mailroom employee opened a letter that contained a powder and a copy of a Times editorial with a red “X” scrawled on it, police and newspaper officials said.
Tests determined the beige substance was cornstarch, police said.
The white envelope had a Philadelphia postmark but no return address, authorities said.
It contained a copy of a June 28 editorial titled “Patriotism and the Press,” on the Times’ decision to report on government antiterrorism programs. The reports have drawn sharp criticism and calls that the newspaper be investigated for treason.
The incident began about 12:30 p.m., when an employee in the eighth-floor mailroom opened the letter and notified a supervisor about the powder, said Times spokeswoman Catherine J. Mathis.
The supervisor notified police, who evacuated the eighth floor and shut off the air conditioning while environmental workers and officers in hazardous-material suits investigated.
The mailroom worker did not show any symptoms but was taken to a hospital for examination, police said.
The eighth floor also houses parts of the Style and Travel sections. Other Times departments kept working.
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