The Alger Hiss Espionage Case

Part of the American Stories Series, THE ALGER HISS ESPIONAGE CASE follows this famous espionage case from the time Whittaker Chambers, appearing before a congressional committee, accused Alger Hiss of being a member of the Communist Party to Hiss's conviction for perjury in 1950. The whole affair was arguably the most dramatic verification that Soviet espionage indeed had penetrated the U.S. government and thus gave impetus to that early Cold War phenomenon of McCarthyism. Each book in the American Stories Series is devoted to a salient event in American history. Each brings together evidence about some of those whose lives mattered in the making of our common story. And, each text enables students to use primary historical evidence to determine what actually happened, why, and how those events have shaped the course of America's story. Visit www.newtexts.com for other books in the series.

PROLOGUE: IN THE PUMPKIN PATCH. "Investigations: The Dusty Bomb," Time, December 13, 1948. Part 1: THE ALGER HISS CASE AND COLD WAR AMERICA. 1. Contemporary Observers Assess the Meaning of Hiss Case. Part 2: THE HUAC HEARINGS. 2. Chronology: HUAC Hearings. 3. Chambers's First HUAC Appearance. 4. Hiss Refutes Chamber's Accusations in Appearance Before HUAC. 5. President Truman Calls HUAC Investigation a "Red Herring". 6. Editorial Response to "Red Herring" Remarks. 7. HUAC in Executive Session Probes Chambers for Details of Hiss Relationship. 8. HUAC Interrogates Hiss in Executive Session. 9. New York Herald Tribune Publishes Account of Hiss Testimony. 10. Hiss and Chambers Meet at the Commodore Hotel, New York City. 11. New York Herald Tribune Again Reveals Committee Proceedings. 12. Hiss Open Letter to HUAC, August 24, 1948. 13. Hiss and Chambers Before HUAC. 14. Reaction to the Hearings. 15. HUAC Issues Interim Report. Part 3: THE INDICTMENT. 16. Chronology: Hiss Indictment. 17. Whittaker Chambers Appears on "Meet the Press". 18. Chambers Deposition in Hiss Slander Suit, November 5, 1948. 19. Chambers Produces Documents, November 17, 1948. 20. Microfilm in the Pumpkin Patch. 21. The Baltimore Documents and the Pumpkin Papers. 22. Nixon Identifies Hiss as Chambers's State Department Contact. 23. Editorial Response to the New Evidence. 24. Still a "Red Herring" to Truman. 25. No "Red Herring" to American People. 26. Nixon Appears Before the Grand Jury. 27. The Grand Jury Indicts Hiss. Part 4: THE PERJURY TRIALS. 28. Chronology: The Perjury Trials. 29. Opening Statements, First Trial. 30. The Prosecution Presents Its Case. 31. The Defense Presents Its Case. 32. The Case Goes to the Jury. 33. The Jury Fails to Reach a Verdict. 34. Reaction to the Hung Jury. 35. Opening Statements, Second Trial. 36. Defense Casts Doubts on Hiss as Source of Documents. 37. Judge Allows Hede Massing to Testify. 38. Defense Questions Chambers's Mental Stability. 39. Defense and Prosecution Sum Up. 40. The Guilty Verdict. 41. Nixon's Response to the Verdict. 42. Secretary of State Acheson Defends Hiss; Republicans Berate Him. 43. Nixon Condemns Truman Administration on Floor of Congress. Part 5: THE DEBATE CONTINUES. 44. Nixon, Watergate, and New Evidence. 45. The End of the Cold War and More New Evidence. 46. The Venona Files. 47. The Debate Persists. Guide To Further Research. Index.