“They are beings of evil,” he said.

Although the UPS slip says that Matt W. Mahan ’05 sent the package, the Undergraduate Council president-elect insisted that he was not involved in the gong’s alleged trip to Moscow.

“I have nothing to do with this,” he said. “Nothing at all.”

But Mahan did propose a new use for the gong, aside from making announcements during dinner in Adams House.

“I think it would look good in the fireplace that I’m not allowed to use this year,” he said.

The letter to the monks, which Lamie said was put on the wall Monday night, is an apology.

“We sincerely regret that the decision of Harvard University does not meet your request about the returning of the bells,” says The Crimson’s translation of the letter. “The administration of the University does not speak with the voice of the students.”

The note offers the gong on behalf of all Harvard students.

“In order to demonstrate our solidarity with your request we have sent you as a present this [gong] from one of our main University buildings, Adams House,” it continues. “Regardless of the fact that the bells are currently located in Lowell House, we hope that this instrument will serve you well.”

The source involved with the gong’s disappearance said that the loss of the gong is only the first step in Adams House’s downfall and that the group plans to inflict a year’s worth of harm to the House.

“They don’t have as much power and control as they might think they have,” the source said. “We think that we’ve started something here that will last for a thousand years.”

—Stephen W. Stromberg contributed to the reporting of this article.

—Staff writer Joshua D. Gottlieb can be reached at jdgottl@fas.harvard.edu.