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I am reading a remarkable autobiography: Witness , by Whittaker Chambers, a former member of the Communist underground in the USA during the 1930's and the witness against Alger Hiss, a highly placed Soviet espionage agent in the State Dpt., during Hiss' perjury trial.
The book goes far beyond merely reliving the days that Chambers spent testifying against Hiss, or even talking about his days in the underground, though it does do that. This is fundamentally a story of a man trying to find meaning and purpose in his life: and ultimately finding it in religion and in his duty to witness. He witnesses not only against Hiss and the other Soviet agents, but for the American and Christian way of life that he comes to love.
I'm not sure what I want this thread to be about, this book is encompasses so much (it should, because it runs 800 pages long) but the revelation that interested me most was the fact that during FDR's administration, there were active Soviet espionage agents working against the USA's best interests from positions of power within the US Government.
This, I believe, is a singular event in the history of the world, to have spies from a nation infiltrating and influencing another nation that does not even realize that it is at war and is, literally, being attacked.
The position of just a few of these (known) agents is shockingly high:
Lee Pressman was general counsel of FDR's Works Progress Administration and later, the CIO.
John Abt was a special assistant to the Attorney General.
Nathan Witt was secretary of the powerful National Labor Relations Board.
Alger Hiss was a senior member of the State Dpt. holding a number of different positions at different times, among them was Secretary General of the international assembly that created the UN, President of the Carnegie Endowment and other high level policy positions. One of the policy "contributions" that Hiss made was his work in drafting the Yalta Agreement.
The most revealing thing about the general drift of politics of the 30's was that FDR had got us so far down the road of socialism that you could not tell who were the "liberals" and who were the communists: they all sounded the same.
So for those of you who say "Thank God for FDR and the New Deal!" (This could obviouly be a whole 'nother thread) Just look a little closer, and I think you may find that the rosy scene that the textbooks paint is not the whole (or truthful) picture.
I find the book completely engrossing and I highly recommend it.
(FYI: Whittaker Chambers has proven to be an extremely credible witness time and time again - none of his accusations were ever disproved. Recent documents released by the former Soviet Onion confirmed that, indeed, Alger Hiss was a paid Soviet spy.)
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Pffft Fascist Propoganda disigned to instill McCarthist fear of Marxism into the American people by attacking and slandering Liberal minded Political opponants (both Past and Present) inorder to strengthen todays NeoCon attempt hold on the White House.
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quote:Originally posted by Sid Meier: Pffft Fascist Propoganda disigned to instill McCarthist fear of Marxism into the American people by attacking and slandering Liberal minded Political opponants (both Past and Present) inorder to strengthen todays NeoCon attempt hold on the White House.
Congratulations, that maybe the single most loaded sentence I've ever read.
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Your title is laughable, Roy. "When Soviet Spies Ruled the USA"? Please. Though unlike many liberals I admit that the American Communist Party for many years either was heavily influenced by and often took direct orders from Communist Internation in the USSR. But spies never ruled anything, and if you can't tell the difference between liberals and communists that speaks volumes about you.
I have to admit, I was surprised about the notes taken from Communist International documents that may show Hiss to be a Soviet agent. For many years he was a cause célèbre to liberals as a perceived victim of McCarthyism. His innocence was assumed by many, perhaps because McCarthy, Nixon and their cronies persecuted SO many innocent people.
Those documents have never been released, BTW--only notes taken from them by one investigator.
Given the massive judicial misconduct in the Hiss trial, and Chamber's many admitted lies, often under oath, about Hiss, I don't find the notes of unreleased classified Soviet documents sufficient to judge Hiss guilty. It is certainly possible, perhaps even probable, but not certain. One possibility is Hoover, Nixon and others framed Hiss (because of a lack of evidence), but he was a Soviet agent anyway. I agree with Gay here: Hiss' guilt is unresolved.
quote: The public controversy was brought to light in 1948 over Whittaker Chambers's accusation that Alger Hiss, assisted by his wife Priscilla, had been a member of the Communist Party and a spy, despite the fact that Chambers had spent the previous ten years denying that Hiss was ever a Communist or a spy. Chambers was forced to testify at the Hiss trial that he consistently lied about Hiss prior to 1948, and that he had lied more than once under oath. Some historians, such as James Thomas Gay, author of "The Alger Hiss Spy Case" (American History, May-June 1998), still regard the matter of Hiss's guilt as unresolved. Others, such as Allen Weinstein, author of "Perjury: The Hiss-Chambers Case," judge that the preponderance of evidence points to Hiss's guilt. Still others have charged that Hiss was framed in order to discredit the United Nations and the New Deal
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Of course, don't forget that a common practice even in Tom Clancy's hackneyed spy novels is for each government to plant documents about people who aren't spies just to throw the other government into conniptions if/when they discover them.
Though it is likely Hiss was a spy in at least some capacity; Whittaker's Chambers's credibility is void, though, given his track record of lying.
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And FYI, Chambers proved to be a very UNreliable witness, one reason the first Hiss trial ended in a hung jury. An admitted ex-communist, Chambers confessed to lying about Hiss, under oath, and also changed his story around several times.
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Lying for Jesus! Dinosaur bones were planted by God to test our faith! Commies are Godless hommasexshuals!
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
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Of course the title is laughable, it was meant to be.
Yes, I can tell the difference between liberals and communists, my point was that during the 30's, there were high-level Soviets and liberals working side by side in the US Gov't and no one could tell the difference.
Actually, No, Chambers did not spend 10 years denying that Hiss was a spy.
Chambers broke with the American Communist Party (and the Soviet Underground, 2 separate entities) about 1938.
In late 1939, Chambers met FBI Agent Adolf Berle and explained to Berle what he knew about the Soviet Underground in DC and other places. This explanation included Alger Hiss. The so-called Berle notes were used as evidence during the Second Hiss trial.
Berle, or the FBI, did little with this info for nearly 9 years. (Need I convince anyone that the FBI can make mistakes?)
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Also, this book was published in 1952, I don't think it was meant to justify the current Administration.
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quote: my point was that during the 30's, there were high-level Soviets and liberals working side by side in the US Gov't and no one could tell the difference.
But the Soviets in question were spies. How is a spy going to infiltrate a foreign government other than doing their best to blend in with the administration in power?
So no one could tell the difference between an american liberal and a soviet spy pretending to be an american liberal. All that proves is that they were good spies. (Assuming the people in question were, in fact, actual spies, which seems to be in debate.)
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I agree with Gay here: Hiss' guilt is unresolved. 
