Perjury: The Hiss-Chambers Case

By Allen Weinstein

When the Hiss-Chambers case first burst on the scene in 1948, its main characters and events seemed more appropriate to spy fiction than to American reality. The major historical authority on the case, Perjury was first published in 1978. Now, in its latest edition, Perjury links together the old and new evidence, much of it previously undiscovered or unavailable, bringing the Hiss-Chambers’s amazing story up to the present.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hoover Press
• Release date: Oct 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9780817912284

Reviews for Perjury

[ericcostello-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An in-depth look at the case involving accusations (directly) of perjury against State Department official Alger Hiss, and (indirectly) further accusations that he passed material to Soviet intelligence at various points in the 1930s. The author does a very good job of analyzing both Hiss' background, and that of Whitaker Chambers, the Time editor who made the accusations in spectacular fashion in 1948. The author flat out states, at the very end, that he believes Hiss committed perjury, and he did a very good job of laying out the case that Hiss was playing a very shifty game in his testimony. The author doesn't shy away from the fact that Chambers wasn't a perfect witness, either, and had major faults, but the evidence laid out, in my view, is compelling. Definitely recommended, especially as a counter to many apologia for Hiss that emerged in the Watergate era.

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Although Nasvasky raised some real questions Weinstein accurately reported testimony from certain veteran Communists, overall, I have no doubt ththat Weinstein's basic conclusion --that Hiss was guilty -- is correct.This is less from reading this book than from reading In Re AlgerHiss, compiled by Hiss's supporters from documents obtained from theFBI, which demonstrate (to me at least) that the FBI knew nothingabout the famous typewriter until Hiss's defense produced it, and infact the FBI was deeply suspicious of it when it was produced.There are other details (some of which I no lonfer recall) which werevery much against Hiss. I told him so once in person and Hiss had noreal reply. My feeling is that Hiss's real defense (which he nevermade) was that sharing information with a potential ally (whichttthe USSR was at the time) is by no means as bad as sharing datawith a potential enemy (as the USSR was by the time Hiss was on trial.(