Alger Hiss

Alger Hiss was an American government official accused of espionage during the Cold War era. In the late 1940s, he was implicated by Whittaker Chambers, a former communist, as having been a spy for the Soviet Union. Hiss denied the accusations, but he was ultimately convicted of perjury in 1950 for lying about not having passed classified documents to Chambers. His case became emblematic of the anti-communist fervor of the time, raising questions about loyalty, secrecy, and the nature of evidence. The Hiss case remains controversial, with debates about his guilt and the broader implications for American politics.