Alger Hiss

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the Alger Hiss spy scandal which pointed out a series of problems the American intelligence community faced during the Cold War years. The paper also discusses the way in which this case represented a milestone in the judicial practice of the US courts, especially because they relied on official documents to support and make their decision.

From the Paper:

"On the other hand, documents such as no 1579 point out a different controversy. Apparently the name "Hiss" is mentioned in the 1943 telegram sent from New York to Moscow, which would conclude that the Russian secret intelligence was well aware of Alger Hiss and in good contact with him. However, opposing opinions draw the attention on the fact that "the name 'Hiss' was not translated by the Venona cryptanalysts, because it appeared just that way in the original: 'Spelled out in the Latin alphabet'" . Moreover, the absence of the first name did not indicate clearly whether it was Alger or his brother, both engaged in the State Department activities. Lowenthal concludes that considering the fact that "Hiss' is the only one of the six real names in the GRU message that appears without a first name and without a cover name", the document would not indicate Hiss to be a spy, but rather a reference."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Abrahamsen, David. Nixon vs. Nixon: An Emotional Tragedy. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1976
• Adolf Berle's Notes on his Meeting with Whittaker Chambers. Responses, reflections, and occasional papers. Avaliable on Internet, http://www.johnearlhaynes.org/page100.html#_ftnref3. Accessed 15 October 2006
• Crowell, William P. Remembrances of Venona. Available from Internet, http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/text/coldwar/venona-crowell.html. Accessed 15 October 2006
• Excerpts from Grand Jury Hearings Relating to the Alger Hiss Case December, 1948. Available from Internet, http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/hiss/hissgrandjury.html. Accessed 15 October 2006.
• Hede Massing. The Alger Hiss story. 2006. Available from Internet, http://homepages.nyu.edu/~th15/hedem.html. Accessed 15 October 2006

More papers on Alger Hiss:

• Term Paper # 119393 : "The Trial of Alger Hiss"
• Term Paper # 118596 : "Alger Hiss"
• Analytical Essay # 59018 : "Horatio Alger"

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