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The Verdict / 169
The Final Petition
In 1974, under the Freedom of Information Act, Hiss secured copies of FBI and Department of Justice files about him. In October 1978 he petitioned the court to set aside his conviction for perjury. The petition stated that the government had engaged in serious misconduct that deprived Hiss of a fair trial. New evidence from the files explained why the trial had been unfair.
The prosecution used an informer within the defense.
Horace Schmahl was a private investigator employed by the defense from October 1948 to early 1949. During this time and after, he met repeatedly with the FBI agents and Prosecutor Murphy. He told them what the defense was doing and planning. This deprived Hiss of the assistance of counsel guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment.
The prosecution conspired to conceal important statements by Chambers to the FBI.
At both trials Chambers said that he got $400 from Hiss. But in an earlier FBI interview, he said he borrowed $500 from Hiss. We believe that between the date Chambers told this to the FBI and the first trial,
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