Changes

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>[[#refWeinstein78|Weinstein 1978]]: 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>[[#refWeinstein78|Weinstein 1978]]: 43</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>[[#refNKVD|NKVD]]: [http://www.education-research.org/PDFs/splitfiles/splitprocessed/Silvermaster082_Folder/Silvermaster082_page120.pdf 109 (PDF 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>[[#refBagley07|Bagley 2007]]: 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>[[#refNKVD|NKVD]]: [http://www.education-research.org/PDFs/splitfiles/splitprocessed/Silvermaster082_Folder/Silvermaster082_page120.pdf 109 (PDF 120)]</ref> Hoover asked President 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>[[#refBagley07|Bagley 2007]]: 273</ref>

That month, for the first time since the [http://www.ashbrook.org/publicat/oped/busch/06/1946.html elections of 1928], the [[Republican Party|Republicans]] had won control of both houses of Congress, 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]." "More than one Congressman," reported ''The Christian Science Monitor'', "whenever the subject of leftist activity in the State Department is mentioned, pulled out a list of suspects that was invariably headed by Mr. Hiss."<ref>[[#refTL50|de Toledano, Lasky 1950]]: 115; [[#refZeligs67|Zeligs 1967]]: 341</ref> This congressional interest finally forced the [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] Truman administration to act: the State Department removed Hiss from access to secrets,<ref>[[#refBagley07|Bagley 2007]]: 273</ref> while the Justice Department planned a [[#refBentleyGJ|grand jury to look into Soviet espionage]].  

That month, for the first time since the [http://www.ashbrook.org/publicat/oped/busch/06/1946.html elections of 1928], the [[Republican Party|Republicans]] had won control of both houses of Congress, 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]." "More than one Congressman," reported ''The Christian Science Monitor'', "whenever the subject of leftist activity in the State Department is mentioned, pulled out a list of suspects that was invariably headed by Mr. Hiss."<ref>[[#refTL50|de Toledano, Lasky 1950]]: 115; [[#refZeligs67|Zeligs 1967]]: 341</ref> This congressional interest finally forced the [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] Truman administration to act: the State Department removed Hiss from access to secrets,<ref>[[#refBagley07|Bagley 2007]]: 273</ref> while the Justice Department planned a [[#refBentleyGJ|grand jury to look into Soviet espionage]].