This year is the 60th anniversary of Whittaker Chambers autobiography Witness.
Posted on 07/28/2012 2:35:15 AM PDT by iowamark
This year is the 60th anniversary of Whittaker Chambers autobiography Witness.
"Hiss?" That's the question that should have been raised during her ludicrous confirmation hearings of now-Justice Kagan The woman is part of a well-known New York City Communist family those treasonous activities go back to 1917, if not before!
The belief in Hiss as a victim is very common belief on the Left to this day. E.G., Peter Jennings maintained what he called "an open mind" on Alger Hiss ... and the Rosenbergs ... until the day he died. That is, he advocated their innocence.
Amazing that McCarthy is cat as the villain of the era.
I wonder if she's still young enough to write a biography on Barack Hussein Obama. The title would fit in nicely with her first work.
The most damaging spy to our national security was Klaus Fuchs.
He gave detailed information of the Mark 3 plutonium bomb (Fat Man) to the Soviets.
http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/News/Voprosy2.html
Today’s ‘Hiss’ is named Huma.
Today’s ‘Hiss’ is named Huma.
I just read this excellent new book on Alger Hiss and his WWII era spy activities.
This year is the 60th anniversary of Whittaker Chambers’ 1952 autobiography ‘Witness’.
‘Whittaker Chambers: A Biography’ (1998) by Sam Tanenhaus remains the standard on Chambers and Hiss.
Nice post. Interesting interview. I am off to Amazon to buy the book.
An interesting follow up piece would be to list all those out spoken supporters of Hiss and assess their role, where they are now and their impact on our current state. I suspect that a large number of them have ended up in environmental groups - hiding in plain sight, so to speak.
Unfortunately, McCarthy’s personal shortcomings and exaggerations and recklessness provided cover for liberals. A more temperate champion (think Paul Ryan) would have been invaluable.
Exactly - we are “Witness” to history repeating itself as regards treachery in the State Dept. and multiple politicians involved in demogoguery against those who would point out the obvious. Is it too much to hope that we will see today’s plotters taken down before realizing their goals?
Sounds like Alinsky's "rules".
It sounds as if “extremism in the defense of liberty” applied at the time because of the willful blindness of more “measured, moderate voices;” or ,not to mix the metaphor, “blind eyes that will not see” in the face of elite propaganda. Almost the template for everything that has gone on since.
“Alger Hiss (November 11, 1904 – November 15, 1996) was an American lawyer, government official, author, and lecturer. He was involved in the establishment of the United Nations both as a U.S. State Department and U.N. official. Hiss was accused of being a Soviet spy in 1948 and convicted of perjury in connection with this charge in 1950.
On August 3, 1948, Whittaker Chambers, a former Communist Party member, testified under subpoena before the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) that Hiss had secretly been a Communist while in federal service. Chambers had previously testified under oath that Hiss had never been a Communist or a spy, and Chambers would admit, under oath, to other instances where he had committed perjury under oath. Called before HUAC, Hiss categorically denied the charge. When Chambers repeated his claim on nationwide radio, Hiss filed a defamation lawsuit against him.
During the pretrial discovery process, Chambers produced new evidence indicating that he and Hiss had been involved in espionage, which both men had previously denied under oath to HUAC. A federal grand jury indicted Hiss on two counts of perjury; Chambers admitted to the same offense but, as a cooperating government witness, was never charged. Although Hiss’s indictment stemmed from the alleged espionage, he could not be tried for that crime because the statute of limitations had expired.”
Vladimir Putin praised Cold War-era scientists on Thursday for stealing U.S. nuclear secrets so that United States would not be the world's sole atomic power, in comments reflecting his vision of Russia as a counterweight to U.S. power.
Spies with suitcases full of data helped the Soviet Union build its atomic bomb, he told military commanders.
"You know, when the States already had nuclear weapons and the Soviet Union was only building them, we got a significant amount of information through Soviet foreign intelligence channels," Putin said, according to state-run Itar-Tass.
"The were carrying the information away not on microfilm but literally in suitcases. Suitcases!"
Putin's remarks referred to the dawn of the Cold War more than half a century ago, but they echoed a message he has made loud and clear more recently: that the United States needs to be restrained, and Russia is the country to do it. …
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Appeasement: From ObamaCare to recess appointments, honoring the Constitution has not been an administration hallmark. But when it comes to betraying secrets to mollify the Russians, it becomes a document the president hides behind.
It was bad enough that the 2012 defense authorization bill signed by President Obama set America on a downward spiral of military mediocrity.
He also issued a signing statement, something he once opposed, saying that language in the bill aimed at protecting top-secret technical data on the U.S. Standard Missile-3 — linchpin of our missile defense — might impinge on his constitutional foreign-policy authority.
Section 1227 of the defense law prohibits spending any funds that would be used to give Russian officials access to sensitive missile-defense technology as part of a cooperation agreement without first sending Congress a report identifying the specific secrets, how they'd be used and steps to protect the data from compromise.
The president is required to certify that any technology shared will not be passed on to third parties such as China, North Korea or Iran, that the Russians will not use transferred secrets to develop countermeasures and that the Russians are reciprocating in sharing missile-defense technology.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.investors.com ...
"In a private conversation about the planned U.S.-led NATO missile defense system in Europe, President Barack Obama asked outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for space on the issue.
“This is my last election,” Obama told Medvedev. “After my election I have more flexibility.”
“I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir,” Medvedev said, referring to incoming President Vladimir Putin."
http://fox8.com/2012/03/26/open-mic-catches-obama-asking-medvedev-for-space-on-missile-defense/
__________________________________________________
Obama was talking with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev when neither of them realized that their conversation was being picked up by microphones. Here is what they said:
Obama: “On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved, but it’s important for him to give me space.”
Medvedev: “Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you ...”
Obama: “This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility.”
Medvedev: “I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir.”
“This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.” That statement tells us much about the president’s mindset.
The specific mention of missile defense is worrisome enough. Mr. Obama has retreated from the missile defense plan that was negotiated with European allies during the George W. Bush administration. Apparently, he is signaling Moscow that he intends to retreat further. The clear implication from the president’s comments is that he cannot tell the American people before the election what he plans to do after the election.
In addition, there is the phrase “on all these issues,” implying more is at stake than just missile defense.”
Article: Obama plans double cross on missile defense
When it comes to keeping America safe, we shouldn’t be too flexible:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/29/obama-plans-double-cross-on-missile-defense/print/
On the whole McCarthy’s efforts were probably counter-productive. We would have been better served by someone whose *tone* was moderate, but who was persistent. McCarthy made reckless charges which he could not back up, even if they were true. He tainted the entire enterprise of uncovering traitors in the Government.
Sounds like the Muslim concept of lying when it furthers the cause of Islam.
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