2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the Hiss-Chambers espionage case, which gripped America in 1948 and still provokes controversy. Take a deep factual dive into the story of two brilliant, fascinating men, sensational Congressional hearings, spy documents hidden in a dumbwaiter shaft and a pumpkin, the trial of the century, and the launch of Richard Nixon’s career. Comments and politely phrased corrections or criticism are welcome by the writer and narrator, at john_berresford@comcast.net.
This Podcast presents the testimony of an eminent
psychiatrist, Dr. Carl Binger. He opined that Whittaker
Chambers suffered from a mental illness, called “Psychopathic
Personality,” which causes its sufferers to make false accusations
that they sincerely believe to be true. Dr. Carl...
The second trial: new Judge (an elderly Republican), a new
jury (seven women!), a new lawyer for Hiss (Boston’s distinguished,
quiet Claude Cross), a new strategy by each side, and a lot more
witnesses. The next three Podcasts bring you three witnesses
who did not testify...
At last we hear the two great trial lawyers, Lloyd Paul
Stryker for The Hiss Defense and Thomas Murphy for The Prosecution,
sum up the evidence and loose their rhetorical flourishes.
Stryker, remember, was going for a hung jury, just trying to get
one or two jurors to hold...
Podcast #28 recounts the testimonies of three black
Washingtonians named Catlett. Claudia Catlett, the Hisses’
household servant, had only one memory of Chambers being in the
Hiss house. She’d likely have seen him more if he’d been
coming by regularly to pick up spy documents. Two of her
sons, teenagers when...
The Hiss-Chambers case gripped the nation in 1948 and still provokes controversy. Take a deep factual dive into the story of two brilliant, fascinating men, sensational Congressional hearings, spy documents hidden in a dumbwaiter shaft and a pumpkin, the trial of the century, and the launch of Richard Nixon’s career.