Changes

The second is called “[http://documentstalk.com/ Documents Talk: A Non-Definitive History].” Funding for this project was provided ("[http://www.washingtondecoded.com/site/2009/06/in-denial-round-11.html perhaps entirely]") "[http://www.documentstalk.com/wp/ by The Nation Institute].” The site was started in 2009 by Svetlana Chervonnaya, who calls herself a “[http://www.documentstalk.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/cv_chervonnaya_s.pdf Freelance historian]” operating on a “[http://www.documentstalk.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/cv_chervonnaya_s.pdf Research grant from The Nation Institute]” since 2005.

The second is called “[http://documentstalk.com/ Documents Talk: A Non-Definitive History].” Funding for this project was provided ("[http://www.washingtondecoded.com/site/2009/06/in-denial-round-11.html perhaps entirely]") "[http://www.documentstalk.com/wp/ by The Nation Institute].” The site was started in 2009 by Svetlana Chervonnaya, who calls herself a “[http://www.documentstalk.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/cv_chervonnaya_s.pdf Freelance historian]” operating on a “[http://www.documentstalk.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/cv_chervonnaya_s.pdf Research grant from The Nation Institute]” since 2005.

Chervonnaya is a former "propagandist for the Soviet Union," according to G. Edward White. <ref>G. Edward White, "[http://www.greenbag.org/v13n1/v13n1_white.pdf Alexander Vassiliev & Alger Hiss, Part II]," ''The Green Bag'', Vol. 13, No. 1 (Autumn 2009) p. 99 (PDF p. 15)</ref> Eduard Mark agrees that Chervonnaya was "one of the USSR's more prolific propagandists in the twilight years of the USSR."<ref>[http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/jcws.2009.11.3.26?journalCode=jcws In Re Alger Hiss: A Final Verdict from the Archives of the KGB] [[Journal of Cold War Studies]] 11.3 (Summer 2009): 26-67</ref>. John Earl Haynes concurs, identifying Chervonnaya as a "Moscow historian/propagandist."<ref>[http://hnn.us/comments/135793.html Narcissistic Histrionics] comment on [[History News Network]] July 29, 2009</ref>

Chervonnaya is a former "propagandist for the Soviet Union," according to G. Edward White. <ref>G. Edward White, "[http://www.greenbag.org/v13n1/v13n1_white.pdf Alexander Vassiliev & Alger Hiss, Part II]," ''The Green Bag'', Vol. 13, No. 1 (Autumn 2009) p. 99 (PDF p. 15)</ref> Eduard Mark agrees that Chervonnaya was "one of the USSR's more prolific propagandists in the twilight years of the USSR."<ref>[http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/jcws.2009.11.3.26?journalCode=jcws In Re Alger Hiss: A Final Verdict from the Archives of the KGB] [[Journal of Cold War Studies]] 11.3 (Summer 2009): 26-67</ref> John Earl Haynes concurs, identifying Chervonnaya as a "Moscow historian/propagandist."<ref>[http://hnn.us/comments/135793.html Narcissistic Histrionics] comment on [[History News Network]] July 29, 2009</ref>

Chervonnaya is best known<ref>Chervonnaya also collaborated with David Lowenthal (brother of the late John Lowenthal, Alger [https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol48no4/alger_hiss.html Hiss's lawyer]), on an [http://hnn.us/articles/11581.html online post] seeking to discredit the [[Gorsky memo]].</ref> as coauthor with Kai Bird (a [http://www.thenation.com/authors/kai-bird contributing editor] at ''The Nation'') of “[http://www.theamericanscholar.org/the-mystery-of-ales-2/ The Mystery of ‘Ales’],” in which the authors argue that "Ales" was not Hiss, but his colleague Wilder Foote&mdash;despite the fact that, as Eduard Mark shows,<ref>Eduard Mark, “[http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/ftinterface~content=a714040012~fulltext=713240930 Who was ‘Venona’s’ ‘Ales’? Cryptanalysis and the Hiss Case],” ''Intelligence and National Security'', 18 [Autumn 2003], pp. 54–55, 57–88, 62, 64</ref> Foote spent the 1930s toiling in obscurity as a [http://www.johnearlhaynes.org/page63.html newspaper editor in rural Vermont], when "Ales" was [http://hnn.us/articles/37456.html working with Harold Glasser] in Whittaker [https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol51no4/pdf-files/Ehrman_Alger_Hiss_Again-Web%20(U).pdf Chambers' GRU group] in Washington. Their argument assumes an [http://www.johnearlhaynes.org/page63.html all-knowing efficiency] on the part of Gorsky, which, as Mark proved, he did [http://jeffersonflanders.wordpress.com/2009/06/13/the-vassiliev-notebooks-american-elites-and-cold-war-espionage/ not have]. Craig calls Mark's critique "convincing," adding "I personally find Mark’s overarching conclusion [that “Alger Hiss was an agent of the GRU in the 1930s”] [http://www.h-net.org/~diplo/roundtables/PDF/Roundtable-X-24.pdf convincing]." Moreover, Bird and Chervonnaya's article was based on a flawed and incomplete text of [[Anatoly Gorsky]]’s 5 March 1945 cable, even though the complete, accurate text was [http://www.johnearlhaynes.org/page70.html made available to them].  In an attempt to clear Hiss, Bird and Chervonnaya accused Foote on the flimsiest of pretexts&mdash;precisely, commented Slate.com, "what they [http://www.slate.com/id/2170415/pagenum/all/ believe McCarthyites did to Hiss]." Haynes and Klehr concur:

Chervonnaya is best known<ref>Chervonnaya also collaborated with David Lowenthal (brother of the late John Lowenthal, Alger [https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol48no4/alger_hiss.html Hiss's lawyer]), on an [http://hnn.us/articles/11581.html online post] seeking to discredit the [[Gorsky memo]].</ref> as coauthor with Kai Bird (a [http://www.thenation.com/authors/kai-bird contributing editor] at ''The Nation'') of “[http://www.theamericanscholar.org/the-mystery-of-ales-2/ The Mystery of ‘Ales’],” in which the authors argue that "Ales" was not Hiss, but his colleague Wilder Foote&mdash;despite the fact that, as Eduard Mark shows,<ref>Eduard Mark, “[http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/ftinterface~content=a714040012~fulltext=713240930 Who was ‘Venona’s’ ‘Ales’? Cryptanalysis and the Hiss Case],” ''Intelligence and National Security'', 18 [Autumn 2003], pp. 54–55, 57–88, 62, 64</ref> Foote spent the 1930s toiling in obscurity as a [http://www.johnearlhaynes.org/page63.html newspaper editor in rural Vermont], when "Ales" was [http://hnn.us/articles/37456.html working with Harold Glasser] in Whittaker [https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol51no4/pdf-files/Ehrman_Alger_Hiss_Again-Web%20(U).pdf Chambers' GRU group] in Washington. Their argument assumes an [http://www.johnearlhaynes.org/page63.html all-knowing efficiency] on the part of Gorsky, which, as Mark proved, he did [http://jeffersonflanders.wordpress.com/2009/06/13/the-vassiliev-notebooks-american-elites-and-cold-war-espionage/ not have]. Craig calls Mark's critique "convincing," adding "I personally find Mark’s overarching conclusion [that “Alger Hiss was an agent of the GRU in the 1930s”] [http://www.h-net.org/~diplo/roundtables/PDF/Roundtable-X-24.pdf convincing]." Moreover, Bird and Chervonnaya's article was based on a flawed and incomplete text of [[Anatoly Gorsky]]’s 5 March 1945 cable, even though the complete, accurate text was [http://www.johnearlhaynes.org/page70.html made available to them].  In an attempt to clear Hiss, Bird and Chervonnaya accused Foote on the flimsiest of pretexts&mdash;precisely, commented Slate.com, "what they [http://www.slate.com/id/2170415/pagenum/all/ believe McCarthyites did to Hiss]." Haynes and Klehr concur: