In alger hiss, whittaker chambers, and the schism in the american soul, editor patrick swan marks the fiftieth anniversary of witness. Whittaker chambers through the eyes of rebecca west. In her new book, ann coulter gets mccarthy rightand makes conservatives mad. According to his book witness, it was during the mid1930s that. Recently, the federal bureau of investigation has reposted new versions of its files on whittaker chambers and alger hiss to its online fbi vault. A book event 8182010 heritage foundation whittaker chambers is rightly remembered for his pivotal role in the electrifying alger hiss spy case. The true story and not even allen weinsteins perjury, which came out within two years in the 1970s and remains the definitive account.
Allen weinstein, as noted in his june 19 obituary, provocative historian researched alger hiss case, was u. The long awaited, long delayed, personal testament of whittaker chambers who shared with alger hiss in the most controversial case of our time, not only in the enigmatic features of the case itself, in the violent partisanship of belief or disbelief in the two men involved, but more largely in its ultimate significance, established by the verdict, of the existence of communist infiltration. This book accepts hiss s story that he befriended the melodramatic and disheveled chambers, totally uncharacteristic for the supercoolproper hiss unless the two were soviet spies and it offers only speculation how 64 pages of documents, obviously prepared for spying, got typed on the hiss family typewriter and into chambers possession. He played the american left like a fiddle for decades and gave the joseph mccarthy branch of the gop enough ammo to go berserk. Alger hiss november 11, 1904november 15, 1996 was an american lawyer, government official, author, lecturer, and professional sob. Alger hiss proclaimed his innocence until he died in 1996. What did alger hiss, whittaker chambers and ethel rosenburg.
And while today the uneasy climate of suspicion in which the case was. Jan 01, 2009 alger hiss and the battle for history book. The phrase would be more accurate if it said chambers whom the fbi had questioned in the 1940s about. First published in 1952, witness was at once a literary effort, a philosophical treatise, and a bestseller. A sympathetic fulllength portrait of a man best known for making alger hiss and richard nixon famous. Essays by literary luminaries such as leslie fiedler, arthur koestler, lionel trilling, rebecca west, murray kempton.
In 1952, chamberss book witness was published to widespread acclaim. Hiss and his accuser, whittaker chambers, had testified several times in. Oct 12, 2016 john chambers, son of whittaker chambers, talks about his life growing up on the carroll farm made famous during the pumpkin papers and the alger hiss case. Whittaker chambers and alger hiss are just obscure names in history booksif they appear at all. Whittaker chambers tortured journey the washington post. Alger hiss, whittaker chambers and the other members of the espionage group they belonged to in the 1930s did not do what they did for money. The book made the bestseller list, creating a sensation in the the years.
Swan called the schism in the american soul in his collection of essays and articles alger hiss. Chambers claimed that hiss had passed classified state department documents to him in 1937 and 1938 for transmittal to the soviet union. Alger hiss, according to chambers and others, becomes a member of wares underground cell, a sort of marxist study group. Aug 20, 2017 i believe whitaker chambers, who left the communist party, and outed soviet spy alger hiss, said in his book witness, at beginning, in a note to his daughters. Republic broadcasting network the final communist push to. The refusal to accept that hiss was guilty is the proximate cause of what editor patrick a.
List of books and articles about whittaker chambers. A chronology since 1934 by william fitzgibbon sunday, june 12, 1949. Alger hiss was proclaimed as a thief and julis and ethel rosenberg were accused of commiting a espionage. Whittaker chambers, who testified against hiss, remains a hero to american conservatives and was awarded a posthumous presidential medal of. Dont push them around or punch them any more than you have to, john. An extensive fbi investigation helped develop a great deal of evidence verifying chambers statements and revealing hiss coverups. In 1952, whittaker born jay vivian chambers published an account of the trials embedded in his life story. Jay vivian chambers 1901 1961, known as whittaker chambers, was an american editor who denounced his communist spying and became respected by the american conservative movement during the 1950s. A biography bids fair, indeed, to become the last word on one of the longestrunning controversies of the cold war. He will continue to play this role until he leaves the party in 1938. Alger hiss conviction highlighted communist subversion of u.
Whittaker chambers witness in the alger hiss case, anti. After early years as a communist party member and soviet spy, he defected from communism underground and open party. I found myself examining the case of alger hiss, thesenior diplomat. For many years, any files about the hiss case and other investigations have gone missing from the fbi vault, without public explanation. State department official alger hiss was accused of being a soviet spy. In his books witness and cold friday, whittaker chambers claimed his pipe creek farm was a symbol. Whittaker chambers was born jay vivian chambers on april 1, 1901 into an aristocratic new york family.
Alger hiss, whittaker chambers and the case that ignited. Alger hiss, seated, tells the house unamerican activities committee that he is unable to identify whittaker chambers in a photograph, on aug. Britainbased american novelist brady the blue death, 2012, etc. To listen to these readings, youll need the realaudio player. On august 3, 1948, whittaker chambers, a former communist party member, appeared before the house committee on unamerican activities huac to denounce alger hiss. Representative richard nixon of california, suspecting that hiss was lying, convinced chambers to produce microfilm documents from hissdocuments that chambers had hidden on his farm in a hollowedout pumpkin. A former state department official who was accused of being a communist spy giving classified documents to the soviets and was convicted of perjury. Books on whittaker chambers and alger hiss abound, as countless scholars have labored to uncover the facts behind chamberss shocking accusation before the house committee on unamerican activities in the summer of 1948that alger hiss, a former rising star in the state department, had been a communist and engaged in espionage. Buy a cheap copy of witness book by whittaker chambers.
List of books and articles about alger hiss online. This is a consensuschallenging history of the alger hiss whittaker chambers controversy of 1948 to 1950, a criminal case in which hiss was convicted of perjury after two long trials. I believe whitaker chambers, who left the communist party, and outed soviet spy alger hiss, said in his book witness, at beginning, in a note to his daughters. Whittaker chambers, original name jay vivian chambers, born april 1, 1901, philadelphia, pa. His grandson sets the record straight about whittaker chambers by vidal, elena maria the american conservative, vol. General view of the assembly before the unamerican activities committee. The book s pregnant title witness carries three meanings. Hillary clinton, alger hiss and the schism in the american. By september 1948, only alger hiss continued to deny those allegations. A historians death and lingering questions about alger hiss.
His father, also named jay vivian, was a bisexual who kept a. In 1949, the first trial resulted in a hung jury, but in. In august 1948 under subpoena before the house unamerican activities committee huac, he named former federal officials as part of a washingtonbased network. Confessed to spying for the soviet union during the 1930s. First, martelle writes about allegations by whittaker chambers, a time magazine editor and former communist party member who had been talking to the fbi about spies, including alger hiss, he had known while in the party p. Alger hiss, whittaker chambers, and the schism in the. A cleareyed investigation into what is probably the biggest, longest coverup in american history. In late 1988, when i set out to write a life of whittaker chambers,the cold war. Called to testify before the house unamerican activities committee, he named names, leading two years later to the sensational perjury conviction of hiss, an esteemed diplomat. Whittaker chambers wrote a memoir in 1948 called witness where he lays out. They were true believers who had lost faith in the american system and felt that communism was the wave of the future. May 01, 2015 for the hiss case, martelle cites solely john chabot smiths alger hiss. Whittaker chambers through the eyes of rebecca west by.
In august or september, hiss meets chambers then using the name carl and begins paying communist party dues. Alger hiss first image was elegant and slim, while. Russia agreed to declare war on japan after the surrender of germany and in return fdr and churchill. Aug 25, 2009 alger hiss and the battle for history susan jacoby new haven. The extraordinary career of the house committee on unamerican activities. The saddest day in my life was when i left the communist partysince i knew i was leaving the winning party. Whittaker chambers first testified publicly against alger hiss before the house unamerican activities committee on august 3, 1948. A senior editor at time magazine, chambers had written a scathingly satirical editorial critical of the yalta agreements. Kurt vonnegut tells fresh airs terry gross about surviving and enjoying the dresden firebombing. Yale university press, 2009 this article first appeared in the washington times susan jacoby is a gifted writer. Interview with tony hiss, writer whose forthcoming memoir, the view from algers. Sheltons book probes a question many observers of alger hiss have long wondered about.
In 1951 during huac hearings, william spiegel of baltimore identified a photo of carl schroeder as whittaker chambers while he was describing his involvement with david zimmerman, a spy in chambers network. Opinion lessons of the alger hiss case the new york times. Hiss, youll recall, was the former state department official who in 1948 was accused by whittaker chambers, a former communist agent, of spying for the soviet union. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Hiss talked about his father, alger hiss, and the impact of the chambers hiss perjury trial.
Subsequent scholarship has vindicated the jury that convicted hiss of perjury. Richard nixon, whittaker chambers, alger hiss, and. The story is famous and well known to some, but increasingly forgotten by too many americans. John chambers, son of whittaker chambers, talks about his father hiding united. Priscilla hiss october, 1903 october 14, 1984, born priscilla fansler and first married as priscilla hobson, was a 20thcentury american teacher and book editor, best known as the wife of alger hiss, an alleged communist and former state department official whose innocence she supported with testimony throughout his two, highly. Although alger hiss continues to have some partisans today, most historians agree that whittaker chambers s testimony has been vindicated and that he did expose hiss and others as members of an. The true story, and it seemed wiser to let the views expressed in that book be defended by others instead of elaborating on them. Whittaker chambers had just participated in americas. As a grandchild of whittaker chambers who was another gifted writer, if rarely so light, i looked forward to alger hiss and the battle for. Whittaker chambers 19011961 was a former communist and witness for the house on unamerican activities committte huac against alger hiss, as well as author of witness, senior editor of time magazine, and recipient of the medal of freedom from president ronald reagan.
Lewis hartshorns book is not a large overview of the hisschambers affair. In alger hiss, whittaker chambers, and the schism in the american soul, editor patrick swan marks the fiftieth anniversary of witnesss publication by anthologizing 23 of the best essays ever written on chambers, hiss, or both. On august 3, 1948, a time magazine editor and former communist spy named whittaker chambers came to washington, d. State department official who was convicted in january 1950 of perjury concerning his dealings with whittaker chambers, who accused him of membership in a communist espionage ring. With so much having been written about the espionage case involving alger hiss and whittaker chambers, is there a need for yet another book. The statute of limitations was not an issue, however, on the question of whether alger hiss committed perjury. Two days later, hiss appeared before the committee, denied being a communist, and also said he did not know anyone named whittaker chambers. Richard nixon, whittaker chambers, alger hiss, and quakerism. Those differences were principled and in no way prevented a mutual respect as detailed in the book odyssey of a friend. Hilton kramer, the new criterion first published in 1952, witness is the true story of soviet spies in america and the trial that captivated a. Alger hiss and the battle for history by susan jacoby.
Chambers accused a former state department official, alger hiss, of being among his communist contacts. In the summer of 1948, alger hiss sued whittaker chambers for libel after chambers went on a radio program and reiterated what he had told huac, the house committee on unamerican activities. Alger hiss, president of the carnegie endowment for international peace and former highranking state department official, had served with him in the communist underground. These investigations eventually led to the discovery of proof that hiss was a mole. Also, kurt vonnegut on modern sainthood at the new york is book country brunch, september 21, 1997 6 min. Reuben covered the hiss appeals and the motion for a new trial in the 1950s. The thing that alger hiss, hittaker chambers and ethel rosenburg had in common is that all of them were subjects of espionage investigations that occurred as part of a red scare. I was the first civilian to see sections of the decrypts, 20 years before. Fortyfouryearold alger hiss, wearing a gray herringbone suit, blue tie, and a brimmed brown hat, entered the federal courthouse in manhattan on may 31, 1949 for the first day of his trial for perjury. Reuben was the author of the atom spy hoax, the honorable mr. Posts tagged algerhiss whittaker chambers in books. The saddest day in my life was when i left the communist party. John chambers, son of whittaker chambers, talks about his life growing up on the carroll farm made famous during the pumpkin papers and the alger hiss. Chambers witnessed the nefarious activities of the communist underground as an apparat insider.
A former national publicity director of the american civil liberties union, mr. The recent death of alger hiss makes the appearance of sam tanenhauss book a particularly timely intellectual and political event. During legal proceedings, chambers brought forth evidence e. Alger hiss, whittaker chambers and the schism in the american soul, intercollegiate studies institute, wilmington.
Alger hiss, born november 11, 1904, baltimore, maryland, u. Hiss team launched a national smear campaign against chambers, even bringing in a psychiatrist to diagnose chambers as a pathological liar, while at the same time suing chambers for libel to. The book deals not so much with the two trials of alger hiss on a perjury indictment and concentrates more on chamberss life, up to 1950, and his testimony and. Sam tanenhaus, author of whittaker chambers one of the few indispensable autobiographies ever written by an american and one of the best written, too. This is a compendium of 23 essays on the hiss case and its place in postwar america, all originally published between 1950 and 2001. That charge was made to alger hiss by a member of the house committee on unamerican activities after mr. Named fellow spies, some of them in roosevelts cabinet alger hiss. This is a consensus challenging history of the alger hiss whittaker chambers controversy of 1948 to 1950, a criminal case in which hiss was convicted of perjury after two long trials. According to whittaker chambers, both donald hiss, algers brother, and priscilla hiss, algers wife, were part of their network. On that day chambers testified that alger hiss, a former high ranking state department official and president of the carnegie endowment for international peace, was a communist and. In 1948, whittaker chambers was a selfconfessed spy for the soviet union turned rabid anticommunist.
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