ChrML, thanks for trying to help, but you're not understanding the problem. We can't set the handle to 0 (or at least we aren't sure the handle has been set to 0) because we don't know where all the handles are. There are multiple handles to the entity, an unknown number created as fields of type objects, not just one clearly known handle. Setting one clearly known handle to 0 is easy, setting an unknown number of multiple handles in unknown type objects to 0 is difficult.
At any rate, other peoples' suggestions work. In particular, Ken and edzup's suggestion regarding referencing type ID's instead of entity handles works well.
At any rate, other peoples' suggestions work. In particular, Ken and edzup's suggestion regarding referencing type ID's instead of entity handles works well.