Dr. Morbus

An “exceptionally tall, bespectacled, gray-haired black woman,” Dr. Morbus is a Party operative in the field of infectious diseases. She gives the letter writer an overview of her research in Letter V, and reappears in Letter XIV to provide a demonstration of her work in the field.

Professor Babel

Professor Babel holds The Horace Glossa Chair of Modern and Future Languages.  He works in the field of sign theory and conducts research at an animal research facility.  In Letter VII, he is described as “a man of more than seventy or perhaps eighty years,” while later in Letter XVIII, he reappears without explanation as an “Asian man in his fifties.”

Professor Eris

Professor Eris, introduced in Letter VIII, lays the groundwork that teaches children to establish facts by feeling and to live in opinions. Described as "a young Asian woman," she discusses regional patois, banned words, and the Party’s Compendium of Fashionable Phraseology.

John

John appears only in Letter XIII.  He is a ninety-seven year-old Marine Corps veteran who served in the Second World War.  Though not officially a Party member, John is aware of its existence.  He provides a vision of the future based on his people’s past.