Gore Office Quarantine After Aide Opens Envelope Filled With White Powder

August 27, 2002

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (CNN) -- A staff member at former Vice President Al Gore's office in Nashville discovered a "suspicious white powder" Tuesday in a small envelope that was sent to the office.

Officials have not yet determined what the package contained.

Gore's office manager, Mary Patterson, opened the small package at approximately noon CDT (1 p.m. EDT).

Patterson and Gore's Tennessee director, Robert McLarty, were the only people in the office at the time.

They immediately turned off the office air conditioning and contacted local authorities, who dispatched a hazardous-materials team to the site, in the city's Loews Hotel.

Patterson described the package as a smaller-than-usual envelope, typically used to write personal correspondence. She said she noticed a stamp on the back of the envelope that said, "This Letter Has Not Been Inspected By The Corrections Department." She said the letter was handwritten, but she stopped reading its contents as soon as she saw the white powder.

Gore is vacationing with his wife Tipper this month in Washington state and was notified of the incident.

http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/08/27/gore.powder/index.html