4,781
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
mLine 23:
Line 23: − +
link
==Trial of the Century==
==Trial of the Century==
After the war, Chambers' story caught the attention of a freshman Representative from [[California]], [[Richard Nixon]]. On August 3, 1948, Chambers testified before the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]] and presented a list of what he said were members of an underground communist network working within the United States government in the 1930s and 1940s. One of the names on that list was that of a State Department official who had participated in the creation of the United Nations: [[Alger Hiss]]. The official White House response was to dismiss the case as a "red herring." Internally, White House staffers set about discreditting Chambers.
After the war, Chambers' story caught the attention of a freshman Representative from [[California]], [[Richard Nixon]]. On August 3, 1948, Chambers testified before the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]] and presented a list of what he said were members of an underground communist network working within the United States government in the 1930s and 1940s. One of the names on that list was that of a State Department official who had participated in the creation of the United Nations: [[Alger Hiss]]. The official White House response was to dismiss the case as a "[[red herring]]." Internally, White House staffers set about discreditting Chambers.
Chambers had skeptics. Hiss was well educated and had a long list of achievements to his name, and he vehemently denied the charges. Comparatively, Chambers was a drifter. Hiss had credibility; Chambers' story seemed fantastic, with little hard evidence. Hiss used this to his advantage, maligning Chambers in the press. Hiss even fabricated stories about Chambers having homosexual experiences, and used them to smear Chambers in public.
Chambers had skeptics. Hiss was well educated and had a long list of achievements to his name, and he vehemently denied the charges. Comparatively, Chambers was a drifter. Hiss had credibility; Chambers' story seemed fantastic, with little hard evidence. Hiss used this to his advantage, maligning Chambers in the press. Hiss even fabricated stories about Chambers having homosexual experiences, and used them to smear Chambers in public.