Thanks for the book title. I'll check into it. I'd heard of Alger Hiss, but never read up on his government career and his spy charges.
I see Stryker started out as an Assistant D.A. in NY City. I've always wondered how someone who had spent their early law years as a prosecutor, could end up defending alleged criminals. I guess that comes from my having worked in uniform in NY State's prison system for 25 years.
Wikipedia says: "Stryker's father was president of Hamilton College and his sister, Alida Livingston Stryker (1881–1951), married Elihu Root Jr., son of the Hamilton alumnus and trustee Elihu Root."
Small world. Hamilton College isn't far from me. Used their library database many times, looking for sources, collections, etc., when I was doing Civil War research. Root's home is on college grounds. It's a beautiful house. It was nicknamed Grant's house because Elihu's daughter Edith married U.S. Grant III, grandson of General U.S. Grant. He was also an Army officer. There is also a U.S. Army Reserve Center named after Elihu Root in Utica, NY.
Elihu Root Sr. was Secretary of War under McKinley at the time of the Spanish-American War and later Secretary of State under Teddy Roosevelt, and he won the Nobel Peace Prize.