Vet, you are dead on about Hiss and Nixon. The lefties went full jihad on Nixon about this, and have never let up.
Secondary to that (but not much) is Nixon’s association with Joe McCarthy.
So old Tricky Dick had a two-fer going against him way before he became president...so Watergate.
I'd say Nixon went full jihad on them too. The commies were fighting a defensive battle. Unfortunately, they won. We are still fighting that war. Nixon being our first major loss.
(or maybe not our first? sometimes I forget things happened before I was born.)
Bagster