Evening star., 1950-01-23
The Hiss Conviction

The conviction of Alger Hiss on two
counts of perjury is hardly an occasion
for exultation. The outcome of the trial,
and the inferences which one has to draw
from it, are too tragic for that.
There is no reason to conclude, how
ever, that the guilty verdict was miscar-
riage Of justice. In two protracted trials,
in the course of which the defendant was
given full opportunity to present his side
of the story 20 of "a jurors came to the
judgment that Hiss lied when he told a
grand jury that he had not made secret
State Department documents available to
Whitaker Chambers, formerly Commu-
mist agent, and when he further said that
he did not see Chambers after January
l, 1887. There was ample evidence upon
which the jurors could base this finding
One may turn away from the story of the
trials with strong impression that the
whole truth did not come out, that much
Of what really went on between the Kisses
and the Chambers more than a decade
ago has been concealed for unknown rea-
sons. 1t is hardly possible, however, to
avoid the conclusion that Hiss did not
tell the truth before the grand jury or at
either of his trials and once that conclu-
sion is formed it becomes necessary to
believe at least the substance of the
Chambers version of their relationship.
In other words, one has to believe that
Alger Hiss betrayed his country and the
trust that had been reposed in him. 1t
Is at this point that speculation falters.
Why did Alger Hiss turn faithless to his
trust? Here was young man in his early
thirties who had every reason for loyalty
to his country. Intelligent and personable,
he was both respected and liked by his
associates and his superiors. An enviable
career in Government lay ahead of him.
Had fortune frowned upon him, had he
been denied opportunity to put his talents
to constructive work, 1t would be possible
to perceive motive for what he did. But
there has been no indication of anything
OF that sort in the career of Alger Hiss.
With every apparent reason for devotion
and loyalty to his country, he chose to
betray it. Why did he do it? If one
knew the answer to that question, he
might understand the otherwise incom-
prehenSible tragedy of Alger Hiss
There are few things incident to the
trial that should be kept in mind. One
is that because of the three-year statute
Of limitations, Hiss could not be tried for
his real offense. There have been propos-
ais that in espionage cases the time for
the running of the statute should be ex-
tended. This is something that should
receive favorable consideration from
Congress.
There is one other thing that is worth
remembering. The Department of Justice,
the FBI and the chief prosecutor, Thomas
F. Murphy, deserve much credit for their
part in obtaining the conviction. But it
should not be. forgotten that Hiss probably
-wouId~haveS gofaeT-Antouched had it not
been for the determined efforts of the
House Committee on Un-American Activ-
tiles, and particularly the work of one
member Representativ Nixon of Cali
fornia. It was hard, uphill battle The
President and other members of his ad-
ministration unwilling to believe that
Hiss might be guilty, did and said things
calculated to discourage and discredit the
committee. Had not Chambers come for
ward with the pumpkin papers," at the
sacrifice of his own reputation and career,
Hiss probably would have gone unde-
tected. The lesson in this, it would seem,
is that loyalty is not something that can
be taken for granted. To paraphrase an
old saying, there are none so blind as
those who will not try to ascertain the
truth