Alger Hiss's Typewriter

Alger Hiss's typewriter refers to a critical piece of evidence in the perjury case against Alger Hiss, a former U.S. State Department official accused of being a Soviet spy during the Cold War. The typewriter in question, a Woodstock Model 5 typewriter, became central to the case when Whittaker Chambers, a former Communist Party member turned informant, testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1948. Chambers claimed that Hiss' wife Priscilla Hiss had typed classified State Department documents obtained by him on the Woodstock typewriter, which Chambers alleged Hiss then passed to him for delivery to Soviet agents.

The typewriter played a pivotal role in the legal proceedings against Hiss. During the trial, the typewriter, serial number 230099, was exhibit "UUU." During Hiss's two trials for perjury in 1950, the prosecution presented expert testimony and evidence regarding the typewriter's unique features, including irregularities in its typeface and mechanical defects. Witnesses testified that the typewriter used to produce the allegedly incriminating documents exhibited characteristics matching those of Hiss's Woodstock typewriter.

Despite Hiss's vehement denials and his supporters' efforts to cast doubt on the typewriter evidence, including claims of tampering and forgery, he was ultimately convicted of perjury for lying about his involvement in espionage activities.

Some left-wing diehards maintain Hiss's innocence and question the reliability of the typewriter evidence.

The typewriter is currently in the possession of Jeff Kisseloff, who operates the pro-Hiss website, AlgerHiss.org.