Customer Reviews

The Sleeping Truth: The Hiss-Chambers Affair Reappraised

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As Ronald Seth ever so casually admits, this is a novel that is so partial so Mr. Alger Hiss that one wonders why one of Whittaker Chambers' descendents did not bother filing some sort of a complaint against him? Perhaps it was because the Chambers's were by then used such people lashing out against Whittaker, and after all, there is such thing as the right of the freedom of the press. Mr. Seth was indeed entitled to say as he wished, whether it be kind, or even necessarily true.

One of the things that bothered me most about his writing was hypocrisy, a tactic he seemed to use when comparing the acts of Mr. Chambers to the acts of Mr. Hiss. Seth views Chambers as some sort of liar for mishandling dates, but when Hiss did the same, the excuse became "but what man doesn't after so many years?" He also believes that Chambers is some sort of fake for saying that Alger Hiss was 5'9 when he was really 6'0, that he was never really in his house because he could not remember a distinctly patterned mirror, and because he said their library was "simple" and "non-descript", even though Alger was always supposed to show off a book that was important to him. True, it would have added to the credibility of Chambers's testimony, had he remembered such things, but forgetting them should not deem him a liar, as Mr. Seth seems to think. If failed memory deems one a liar than what does that make Hiss, who could not even recall the name of George Crosely(the man whom he said was Chambers, using one of his many aliases)and even flubbed the address of his own street once while cross-examining Mr. Chambers?

Besides glorious praises of Hiss and numerous insults aimed at Chambers(he didn't have to call the "Letter to my Children" section of Witness nauseating!), this book fails to account little more than some re-hashes of the trials, as well as a section of Seth's view of "what really happened", which at times was so outrageous I was literally laughing out loud. Not exactally earth-shattering material in other words, but he does have a smooth writing style, and his vast knowlege of espionage and spy tactics was actually quite interesting, a point in his favor.

With that in mind, I would advise that people read this book if interested in getting a "pro-Hiss" view on the cases, but it would simply not do to ONLY read this book if wanting to find out about the case and nothing more. You would surely be missing out.

Ronald Seth has written more than 20 books. Intrigued by this case he traveled to the US to study the source materials and interview many of the people. After reviewing the facts and the background, he came to believe that new evidence pointed to Hiss's being the victim of a frame-up. The book has a table of contents and index, but no photographs. The beginning chapters tell about how it began in August 1948. Chambers accused Hiss of being a secret Communist in the 1930s! There is extensive quotations from the official transcripts, with the author's comments. The details are neither too much or too little. This short book will introduce you to the case.

Chambers testified that Alger and Donald Hiss were Communists; both denied it. The others named declined to answer on possible self-incrimination. Donald Hiss was never charged (was he to be a hostage?). Alger Hiss said his 15 years of public service were an open book, nothing wrong could be seen there (pp.112-114). Alastair Cooke didn't understand the two hundred questions about the old car (p.116); it was an attempt to trap Hiss into making a mistake from his unaided memory (p.117). Quick action prevented Chambers from being indicted for perjury (pp.130-131). Chapter 7 has the consistent statements of Alger Hiss. What about Chambers' personal life at that time? Chapter 8 summarizes the Trials of Alger Hiss. In Chapter 9 Seth explains why he concluded that Chambers was lying. Chambers' actions were in violation of the accepted techniques of any spy operation (p.165). Seth said Chambers' performance on the witness stand influenced the jury (p.179). Chapter 10 discusses the technical aspects of "forgery by typewriter". The typeface style did not match the manufacturing date (p.208). The solder had a different metallic content from the unaltered type (p.210). This was learned after the trial was over, the witness could not be impeached. It was only around 1934 that the FBI handled counter-espionage, before it was the Secret Service (p.235).

Chapter 11 has Seth's version of what happened. Seth says the Soviet Spy ring forged a typewritten document as part of a plan to defeat Truman (and elect Dewey)! [Can you believe that?] Could a secret organization have searched for the old Hiss machine and substituted a doctored machine whose serial number did not match the type font of its manufacture (p.209). How could a typewriter that "was in such bad condition" be able to operate perfectly in court (p.196)? Was it a miracle? Or is a simpler explanation more probable? Seth, like other writers, never mentions any part possibly played by private intelligence agencies. Chapter 12 discusses various events in this case. Since WW I the standard operating procedure was to photograph documents to copy them accurately and quickly (p.256). Retyping is slow, can introduce errors, and carries new facts: typing fonts, the typists's skill level, paper manufacture, and fingerprints (p.258). Seth believes Hiss was innocent (p.274). Was Hiss' resemblance to Chambers younger brother a factor in this case (p.270)?

Appendix I explains the Pichegrue Affaire in 1797 Revolutionary France. The British Secret Service created a plot to destroy General Pichegrue by use of a forged document. It created great political confusion (p.280). Appendix II tells of the Tukhachevsky Affaire. Tukhachevsky was "an open opponent of Stalin" and was purged in a show trial. Hitler's agents provided proof of treason that was passed via President Benes of Czechoslovakia to Stalin (p.287). It used forge typewritten documents. Yet the purged Red Army was the only force that could withstand the Blitzkrieg.