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Before the Trial
The Accusations
In August 1948 Whittaker Chambers, an ex-Communist, accused Alger Hiss, a highly respected government official, of having been a Communist spy. Hiss swore that he had never been a spy. He said he knew Chambers briefly under another name but had not seen him since July 1936. In December a federal grand jury indicted Hiss for perjury—for lying about being a spy and lying about his relationship with Chambers. The trial resulted in a "hung jury"— the jury couldn't reach a verdict. On November 17, 1949, a second trial began.
For as long as it takes you to read this book, you will BE THE JURY at the second trial. You will sit in the jury box and listen to witnesses testify and be cross-examined. You will evalu-
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