The Rev. John F. Cronin

An influential, politically conservative Catholic priest, Father Cronin prepared reports on American Communists for the Catholic Church and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In his reports, he named Alger Hiss as a Party member while in the Agricultural Adjustment Administration. Cronin's source for this information was Whittaker Chambers. One of Cronin's reports, given to Richard Nixon in 1948, inspired the first-term Congressman to contact Chambers, setting in motion the chain of events that would eventually lead to Hiss being jailed for perjury.