![]() It could have ended there, but members of the committee-especially then-California Congressman Richard Nixon-prodded Chambers into disclosing information suggesting there was more to his story and his relationship with Hiss. After all, Chambers had offered no proof that Hiss had committed espionage or been previously connected to Bentley or the communist group. In later testimony, Hiss vehemently denied the accusation. He ultimately acknowledged he was part of the communist underground in the 1930s and that Hiss and others had been members of the group. Details leaked to the press, and the investigation became national news and embroiled in partisan politics in the run up to the 1948 presidential election.Ĭhambers, who had renounced the Communist Party in the late 1930s, testified reluctantly that hot summer day. ![]() As the investigation into Bentley and related matters deepened in 19, Congress became aware of and concerned about the case. The FBI immediately began probing her claims to ensure those who were credibly named-including Hiss-did not continue to have access to government secrets or power. ![]() One official she named as possibly connected to the Soviets was Alger Hiss. In August 1948, Whittaker Chambers-a senior editor at Time magazine-was called by the House Committee on Un-American Activities to corroborate the testimony of Elizabeth Bentley, a Soviet spy who had defected in 1945 and accused dozens of members of the U.S. The central issue of the trial was espionage. The verdict? Guilty on two counts of perjury.Īlger Hiss (pictured), a well-educated and well-connected former government lawyer and State Department official who helped create the United Nations in the aftermath of World War II, was headed to prison in Atlanta for lying to a federal grand jury. The jury returned from its deliberations on January 21, 1950.
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