The '''Nye Committee''' more formally known as the '''Special Committee Investigating the Munitions Industry''' or sometimes the '''Senate Munitions Committee''' was established on April 12, 1934 because of continuing public disillusionment over the final outcome of [[World War I]] and distrust of those who had profited from the war. These weapons’ suppliers had reaped enormous profits at the cost of more than 53,000 American battle deaths. As local conflicts reignited in Europe through the early 1930s, suggesting the possibility of a second world war, concern spread that these “merchants of death” would again drag the United States into a struggle that was none of its business. Although World War I had been over for 16 years, the inquiry promised to reopen an intense debate about whether the nation should ever have gotten involved in that costly conflict.
The so-called “Senate Munitions Committee” came into being because of widespread reports that manufacturers [[Alger Hiss]], an agent of armaments had unduly influenced the American decision [[Soviet Military Intelligence]] (GRU), served as legal assistant to enter the war in 1917. The committee, chaired by Gerald P. Nye of North Dakota[[Lee Pressman]], had broad authority to examine another Soviet agent who at that time was the structure and activities of General Counsel for the munitions industry[[Agricultural Adjustment Administration]], to investigate and report on controlling got Hiss the traffic in munitionsappointment.<ref>Ralph de Toledano and Victor Lasky, to recommend legislation to "take the profit out ''Seeds of warTreason''," NY: Funk and to consider establishing a Government monopoly of arms manufactureWagnalls, 1950, [http://www.americandeception.com/index.php?action=downloadpdf&photo=/PDFsml_AD/Seeds_Of_Treason-Ralph_de_Toledano_and_Victor_Lasky-1950-278pgs-POL.sml.pdf&id=343&PHPSESSID=b964065077a1de19538c4c7b1cf9e825 pgs. 56 - 72] pdf. </ref>
[[Alger Hiss]], an agent ==Purpose== The so-called “Senate Munitions Committee” came into being because of [[Soviet Military Intelligence]] (GRU), served as legal assistant widespread reports that manufacturers of armaments had unduly influenced the American decision to enter the war in 1917. The committee, chaired by Gerald P. [[Lee Pressman]]Nye of North Dakota, another Soviet agent who at that time was had broad authority to examine the General Counsel for structure and activities of the [[Agricultural Adjustment Administration]]munitions industry, got Hiss the appointment.<ref>Ralph de Toledano to investigate and Victor Laskyreport on controlling the traffic in munitions, ''Seeds to recommend legislation to "take the profit out of Treason''war, NY: Funk " and Wagnalls, 1950, [http://www.americandeception.com/index.php?action=downloadpdf&photo=/PDFsml_AD/Seeds_Of_Treason-Ralph_de_Toledano_and_Victor_Lasky-1950-278pgs-POL.sml.pdf&id=343&PHPSESSID=b964065077a1de19538c4c7b1cf9e825 pg. 56] pdfto consider establishing a Government monopoly of arms manufacture.</ref>
The committee held its first hearings in September 1934 and its final hearings in February 1936. There were 93 hearings in all, covering four topics: The munitions industry, bidding on Government contracts in the shipbuilding industry, war profits, and the background leading up to U.S. entry into World War I.
==CPUSA infiltration==
Due to economic difficulties, the [[Comintern]] in Moscow suddenly stopped subsidizing the [[CPUSA]] above ground activities in 1929, although it continued to finance the underground operations in the United States. [[J. Peters]] sought for a way to show the [[Politburo]] and the [[NKVD]] the potentialities of increasing Comintern funding for operations in the [[United States]].
Peters directed [[Whittaker Chambers]] to work on getting State Department documents to photograph so they could be sent to Moscow "as a token of possibilities." Chambers got Hiss’s consent to the plan.
As counsel and investigator for the Nye committee, Alger Hiss was able to make requests "by the Nye committee" for documents from the office of Joseph C . Green. At Hiss' home, they were photographed by Chambers with a Leica. The success of the operation, and Moscow's receptivity, encouraged Peters. By the end of 1935, Chambers was feeding Peters most all of the Nye committee material, as well as turning over information and other intelligence from [[Julian Wadleigh]] and [[Harry Dexter White]].
Harry Elmer Barnes wrote in the February 14, 1935, issue of the New York World-Telegram, "The Communists must have uttered a resounding whoop . . . at the conclusion of the investigation of the Morgan firm by the Nye committee."
==References==