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Secretary of State James Byrnes told the FBI he would have fired Hiss, but for the mandatory Civil Service Commission hearing, which would have revealed confidential sources on the case.<ref>Allen Weinstein, ''Perjury: The Hiss-Chambers Case'' (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1978), ISBN 0394495462, p. 43</ref>

Secretary of State James Byrnes told the FBI he would have fired Hiss, but for the mandatory Civil Service Commission hearing, which would have revealed confidential sources on the case.<ref>Allen Weinstein, ''Perjury: The Hiss-Chambers Case'' (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1978), ISBN 0394495462, p. 43</ref>

In November 1946, the Bureau disseminated to the State Department, Attorney General and Truman White House a second secret report, this time reporting Bentley's allegations regarding "Eugene Hiss," suggesting that this might actually be a reference to Alger Hiss.<ref>FBI Report: [http://ultra-secret.info/PDFs/splitfiles/splitprocessed/Silvermaster082_Folder/Silvermaster082_page120.pdf Underground Soviet Espionage Organization (NKVD) in Agencies of the United States Government], November 21, 1946, p. 109 (PDF p. 120)</ref> FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover asked President Harry S. Truman for permission to take action against Hiss, but Truman (according to a former chief of [[CIA]] [[Soviet]] bloc counterintelligence)<ref>[http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=9780300121988 Spy Wars: Moles, Mysteries, and Deadly Games], Yale University Press</ref> remained "stubbornly antagonistic" to the allegations.<ref>Tennent H. Bagley, ''Spy Wars: Moles, Mysteries, and Deadly Games'' (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2007) ISBN 0300121989, p. 273</ref>

In November 1946, the Bureau disseminated to the State Department, Attorney General and Truman White House yet another secret report, this time reporting Bentley's allegations regarding "Eugene Hiss," suggesting that this might actually be a reference to Alger Hiss.<ref>FBI Report: [http://ultra-secret.info/PDFs/splitfiles/splitprocessed/Silvermaster082_Folder/Silvermaster082_page120.pdf Underground Soviet Espionage Organization (NKVD) in Agencies of the United States Government], November 21, 1946, p. 109 (PDF p. 120) As the Senate Judiciary Committee concluded: "There is ample evidence that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies learned the underlying fact of the Communist conspiracy, and time and again performed their duty and notified the proper administrative agencies of this information." (Subcommittee on Internal Security, Committee on the Judiciary, U. S. Senate, [http://ia360607.us.archive.org/1/items/interlockingsubv16unit/interlockingsubv16unit_bw.pdf Interlocking Subversion in Government Departments], Vol. 16 (Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1953), p. 1110 [PDF p. 50])</ref> FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover asked President Harry S. Truman for permission to take action against Hiss, but Truman (according to a former chief of [[CIA]] [[Soviet]] bloc counterintelligence)<ref>[http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=9780300121988 Spy Wars: Moles, Mysteries, and Deadly Games], Yale University Press</ref> remained "stubbornly antagonistic" to the allegations.<ref>Tennent H. Bagley, ''Spy Wars: Moles, Mysteries, and Deadly Games'' (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2007) ISBN 0300121989, p. 273</ref>

That month, in a campaign charging the [[Democratic Party|Democrats]] with being "[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BUE/is_3_136/ai_n18616442/ soft on Communism]," the [[Republican Party|Republicans]] had won control of both houses of Congress for the first time since the elections of 1928.<ref>Andrew E. Busch, "[http://www.ashbrook.org/publicat/oped/busch/06/1946.html 1946 Midterm Gives GOP First Majority Since 1928 Elections, Helps Ensure Truman’s Reelection]," John M. Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs (Ashland University), June 2006</ref> With a grand jury looking into Soviet espionage, Congress took an interest in Hiss, finally forcing the State Department to remove him from access to secrets.<ref>Tennent H. Bagley, ''Spy Wars: Moles, Mysteries, and Deadly Games'' (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2007) ISBN 0300121989, p. 273</ref>

That month, in a campaign charging the [[Democratic Party|Democrats]] with being "[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BUE/is_3_136/ai_n18616442/ soft on Communism]," the [[Republican Party|Republicans]] had won control of both houses of Congress for the first time since the elections of 1928.<ref>Andrew E. Busch, "[http://www.ashbrook.org/publicat/oped/busch/06/1946.html 1946 Midterm Gives GOP First Majority Since 1928 Elections, Helps Ensure Truman’s Reelection]," John M. Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs (Ashland University), June 2006</ref> With a grand jury looking into Soviet espionage, Congress took an interest in Hiss, finally forcing the State Department to remove him from access to secrets.<ref>Tennent H. Bagley, ''Spy Wars: Moles, Mysteries, and Deadly Games'' (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2007) ISBN 0300121989, p. 273</ref>