..) from 1925 to April 1938, (he) had been a Communist, a writer of radical literature, an editor of the Communist Daily Worker. He had also been what was then vaguely known as a Communist courier."
The major starting point of the case was Chambers' disappointment with the communist doctrine and the dual attitude Stalin had when signing the 1939 pact with the Nazi leadership. Therefore, according to Time Magazine, he "abandoned the party in revulsion and despair, and became a determined enemy of Communism." Consequently, outraged by the dramatic turn that the soviet politics had taken, he began expressing his views on the collaborators of the soviet regime in the U.S. It is in this way that Chambers contacted Berle, who, after the discussion he had with the former communist partisan, wrote in his notes from September 2, 1939 the information presented by Chambers in their discussions; Alger Hiss's name is associated with information regarding his position in the Administration as "Assistant to Sayre-CP-1937," as "member of the underground Com.-Active, Baltimore boys." Information was given in respect to his wife, Pricilla, who was also a member of the socialist party. Finally, in relation to Alger Hiss, there was also noted the period which determined his involvement with the soviets that was the "early days of New Deal."
These proved to be essential for the development of the case because they represented the basic proof Berle needed to begin inquiring into the matter. After a series of personal investigations, he finally decided to take his notes to the Department of Justice which in turn called Chambers for additional questioning relating to his statement. Nonetheless, Hiss's reputation was still intact and he successfully participated at the Yalta Conference and the San Francisco UN Conference. After Hiss's appointment as the head of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a very strived for position in the field, he was somewhat twisted by Secretary of State James Byrnes to address the still unproven suspicions of his affinities with communist groups in America and abroad. Hiss thus officially affirmed his complete lack of involvement in activities similar to those he was accused of.
The matter however worsened and "In the spring of 1948 Thomas Donegan, a special assistant to the Attorney General, spread before a federal grand jury in New York an FBI report on Alger Hiss." From this point on, because of the official level that the entire situation had reached by implicating the House Un-American Activities Committee, every public statement would represent on the record appreciations. From this perspective, when Hiss firmly denied any involvement with soviet services or any knowledge of former party member, Whittaker Chambers, he in fact had committed perjury. This would be proven, if not very clearly in the court of law at the time, through additional documents and official records which would be presented to the public years later.
In support of the allegations of espionage there were numerous testimonies, among which that of Elisabeth Bentley, one of Chamber's former communist colleagues who testified to knowing Alger Hiss, among others from the party lines. In response, "Alger Hiss also denied the accusations." In his testimony before the House Committee, Hiss clearly and unequivocally stated that "To the best of my knowledge. I never heard of Whittaker Chambers until in 1947, when two representatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation asked me if I knew him and various other people, some of whom I knew and some of whom I did not know. I said I did not know Chambers. So far as I know, I have never laid eyes on him, and I should like to have the opportunity to do so."
The determination in denying the accusations and the fame and respect he was enjoying from his colleagues permitted Hiss to convince his adversaries of the relativity of the charges he was faced with. Nonetheless, an important role was played by the Republican Congressman Richard Nixon, whose intervention in the case also stirred rumors according to which the attempt to indict Hiss with espionage was politically motivated. Notwithstanding, a subcommittee was created in order to establish the truthfulness of the two sides of the story. In this process, all sorts of questions were being asked, with apparently no direct connection to the case. In the end however, to Richard Nixon's perspective, Chambers proved his point-of-view by offering certain details of Hiss's personal life and passions that at least an acquaintance if not a friend would have access to. Linder points out that "in discussions after...
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now