A suspicious letter received last week by Gov. Linda Lingle's office was one of 40 sent to governors' offices and U.S. embassies overseas from Texas and is now part of evidence in a federal investigation being run out of the FBI's Dallas field office, federal officials said yesterday.

Lingle was the last state chief executive to receive a suspicious package in the mail.

"The governor's security detail has been working with the FBI," said Russell Pang, spokesman for Lingle. "If the FBI needs additional information from our office, we will certainly cooperate."

Since Dec. 8, envelopes containing suspicious powder have been received by governors' offices in Alabama, Alaska, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana and Rhode Island.

"To date, all letters have been postmarked from Texas," Robert E. Casey Jr., special agent in charge of the Dallas FBI office, said in a news release. "These letters are all similar in nature. Sending a hoax letter is serious and can have severe consequences. This is a great drain on each city's response teams."

The fifth floor of the Hawai'i state Capitol was closed for hours Dec. 10 after a clerk found the suspicious letter with a return address from San Antonio.

Each of the envelopes sent to embassies or governors' offices contained a similar typewritten letter and a white powder substance, according to the FBI. The powder was field-tested at the site and then forwarded to a regional laboratory for further testing.

In Hawai'i, Honolulu firefighters determined that the substance was cornstarch.

To date, testing on the powder has proven negative for any harmful substance, according to the FBI.

It will eventually be sent to the FBI's main laboratory as evidence in the case.

Even though the substance is harmless, this matter is still a federal crime and is being investigated by the FBI's Dallas Division and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Anyone with information on who may be sending these letters is requested to contact the FBI, USPIS or local law enforcement.

If you receive a letter, notify the FBI and local authorities. Information on how to handle a suspicious package can be found on www.fbi.gov.