Radcliffe House Burglarized; Thieves Take Oriental Rug

Burglars who broke into a second-story Fay House window stole a valuable Oriental rug from an administrative office the weekend of February 19, University Police Lt. Larry Murphy said yesterday.

Murphy said students on the student security patrol discovered the break-in during the early morning hours of February 19 and alerted the police.

Louise E. Donovan, secretary to President Horner, said yesterday the rug had been in the house for a number of years, but declined to estimate the rug's value.

Donovan also declined to answer any questions about the break-in. "We don't want too much publicity about this thing because people might try to do it again," she said.

Sources in Fay House said yesterday the burglars entered the window by way of the fire-escape and left through a door.

"Obviously, whoever it was knew what they wanted because nothing else was stolen," one source said.

One administrator, who wished to remain unidentified, said yesterday Radcliffe owned the University-insured rug.

Murphy said the police are making additional checks around Fay House at night but have found no leads.

The robbery is the latest in several committed at Harvard in the past two years.

Thieves stole six paintings worth about $380,000 from President Bok's home in July 1976. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents arrested three men and recovered the paintings last October.