by Christina Shelton
Product Description
In 1948, former U.S. State Department official Alger Hiss was accused of being a Soviet spy. Because the statute of limitations on espionage had run out, he was convicted only of perjury. Decades later ÌÎÌ_ÌÎ__ÌÎÌ_Ì´åÇÌÎå«Ì´å after the Hiss trial had been long forgotten by most ÌÎÌ_ÌÎ__ÌÎÌ_Ì´åÇÌÎå«Ì´å archival evidence surfaced confirming the accusations: A public servant with access to classified documents had indeed passed crucial information to the Soviets for more than a decade.
Yet many on the American left still consider Hiss an iconic figure ÌÎÌ_ÌÎ__ÌÎÌ_Ì´åÇÌÎå«Ì´å an innocent victim accused of unsubstantiated crimes. They prefer to focus on the collectivist ideals Hiss stood for, rather than confront the reality of a man who systematically and methodically betrayed his country.
Former U.S. Intelligence analyst Christina Shelton employs an in-depth knowledge of Soviet intelligence affairs as well as recently released Hungarian and KGB archival material to shine a fresh light on one of the most famous espionage cases. The story is dramatic, but SheltonÌÎÌ_ÌÎ__ÌÎÌ_Ì´åÇÌÎå«ÌÎÌÊs analysis goes beyond sensationalism as she explores both the ideological motivation behind HissÌÎÌ_ÌÎ__ÌÎÌ_Ì´åÇÌÎå«ÌÎÌÊ behavior and the lasting influence it has had on U.S. foreign policy.
Why exactly were the intellectual elite so determined that Hiss was innocent? His accuser, Time magazine senior editor Whittaker Chambers ÌÎÌ_ÌÎ__ÌÎÌ_Ì´åÇÌÎå«Ì´å originally HissÌÎÌ_ÌÎ__ÌÎÌ_Ì´åÇÌÎå«ÌÎÌÊ Soviet handler ÌÎÌ_ÌÎ__ÌÎÌ_Ì´åÇÌÎå«Ì´å presented compelling written evidence. However, the intelligentsia were intent on supporting one of their own. They ignored the facts, a willful blindness that helped contribute to a polarization still in place in our country today.
Thirty years of intelligence analysis gives Shelton the expertise to approach the story from many different angles, especially:
- Her persuasive argument that communism and fascism are not polar opposites, as has so long been claimed, but highly similar ideologies.
- How HissÌÎÌ_ÌÎ__ÌÎÌ_Ì´åÇÌÎå«ÌÎÌÊ central role at the Yalta Conference and the founding of the United Nations are examples of the significance of Soviet intelligence recruitment of high-level Americans who could influence U.S. foreign policy in their favor.
- Why the silence surrounding the implications of HissÌÎÌ_ÌÎ__ÌÎÌ_Ì´åÇÌÎå«ÌÎÌÊ espionage continues ÌÎÌ_ÌÎ__ÌÎÌ_Ì´åÇÌÎå«Ì´å and why apologists fear that smearing his name would undercut New Deal policies and the United Nations. Shelton doesnÌÎÌ_ÌÎ__ÌÎÌ_Ì´åÇÌÎå«ÌÎÌÊt just detail the body of evidence pointing to HissÌÎÌ_ÌÎ__ÌÎÌ_Ì´åÇÌÎå«ÌÎÌÊ guilt; she suggests new layers of meaning in light of the current political landscape.
Today, the importance of understanding HissÌÎÌ_ÌÎ__ÌÎÌ_Ì´åÇÌÎå«ÌÎÌÊ ideological commitment has never been more vital. His advocacy of collectivism and internationalism still resonate among the political elite, making this book an important and timely analysis of American thought at this critical juncture in our countryÌÎÌ_ÌÎ__ÌÎÌ_Ì´åÇÌÎå«ÌÎÌÊs life.
Product Details
- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Threshold Editions (April 17, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1451655428
- ISBN-13: 978-1451655421
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