The undercover detail--three officers duringthe day and two at night--staked out Widener andPusey stacks for about two months during thespring of 1990.

"Undercover operations are only good if theyare really undercover," said Lawrence Dowler,associate librarian of Harvard College for publicservices. Dowler was the library's liaison to thepolice for the investigation.

"People knew about it. It was difficult to keepit quiet. The investigation wasn't handled as wellas it might have been," he said.

One police officer, who spoke on condition ofanonymity, described the Widener case as "a jokeof an investigation."

"One day we were sent in in uniform, and thenext day they put us undercover," said anotherofficer. "People aren't that stupid."

Employees at the Widener circulation desk, alsospeaking on condition of anonymity, said it waseasy to spot the plainclothes officers.

"They came through the main entrance andintroduced themselves to the employees," onecirculation worker said.

"A first-day freshman wouldn't have a hard timetelling what was going on," another staff membersaid.

One worker said he saw one of the undercoverofficers wearing a pullover shirt under which hisHarvard Police T-Shirt was clearly visible. Manyof the officers entered the stacks carrying theBoston Herald and a cup of coffee, another said.

Lt. Lawrence J. Murphy, who headed theundercover detail, said the fact that libraryemployees knew about the operation "did notinterfere with the investigation."

But Dowler and other library and policeofficials said the slasher could be anyone,including one of the 400-plus people employed atthe library.

"The effort didn't narrow down the suspect atall." Dowler said. "It's depressing."

"By telling people who were potential suspects,it just defeated the entire purpose," a policeofficial said.

Hidden Cameras

The police also monitored the library withthree miniature cameras hidden in books andbetween five and 10 cameras on the libraryceilings, Fennelly said. The cameras, whichrecorded 24 hours a day, were installed during Mayof 1990, according to Kevin O'Keeffe of Sonitrolsecurity.