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Recollections of a Life
The author recalls his apprenticeship with Justice Holmes, his days in the New Deal, his Yalta Conference trip with Roosevelt, the founding of the United Nations, the accusation of him being a Communist spy, his trial and imprisonment, and later years
240 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1988
18 people want to read
About the author
Alger Hiss
15 books8 followersPeople accused American public official Alger Hiss of espionage at the height of the Communist scare and convicted him of perjury in 1950 in a controversial case.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alger_Hiss
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alger_Hiss
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 25, 2019
I only read this book because my grandmother mailed it to me to read. She remembered hearing about Alger Hiss on the news in the 50’s, but I had never heard of him. While not an entertaining read, Hiss is a very good writer and writes about interesting figures from his life. Figures with whom I am unfamiliar, having grown up primarily in the present century. So, despite having no relation to the subject matter, I did enjoy this memoir. I can’t say I learned a lot, because it is very light on information. It’s mostly full of personal anecdotes, observations, and judgements of character. Some of the judgements came off as quite petty.
July 16, 2024
HISS'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY, STILL STEADFASTLY MAINTAINING HIS INNOCENCE
Alger Hiss (1904-1996) was, of course, an American lawyer, government official (notably with the U.S. State Department) official, author, and lecturer. He was accused of being a Soviet spy in 1948 and convicted of perjury in connection with this charge in 1950, and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment; he was released from prison in 1954. Significantly, he consistently denied being engaged in "espionage" for the remainder of his life (although there is mounting convincing evidence suggesting that he had been so engaged).
In 1957, he had written the book, In the court of public opinion, which dealt in detail with his defense of himself. (He says here, "that book was part of my efforts to obtain a reversal of my unjust conviction"; pg. 150) This book, however, is a full-fledged autobiography (although his trial, and guilt/innocence are clearly major emphases in it; he wrote, "Here I want to describe the emotional experience of the two long and heartbreaking trials"; pg. 150).
He states, "I was accused of perjury because I denied... that I had given Whittaker Chambers documents from the files of the State Department for transmission to the Soviet Union... I could have obviated those two extensive and grueling trials by refusing to answer questions before the grand jury... I did not do that, in the mistaken belief that our federal judicial system was proof against public prejudice and was free of prosecutorial chicanery. I was certainly naive in believing that jurors would be insulated from the phobias of the cold war..." (Pg. 150-151)
During the trial, "I felt at times like a pawn in a game played by others... I felt like a spectator rather than a participant in my own trial... I had to sit by... listening to false testimony---to lies..." (Pg. 154) After the guilty verdict was announced, he "was stunned... The legal world I believed in had been turned topsy-turvy. I was now facing imprisonment for a crime I had not committed." (Pg. 157) After he sued Chambers for libel, "I caught sight of him fleetingly as I was going to and from the grand jury room... the impression was of a cowed, timid creature being moved from one cage to another... Chambers was a pawn in the hands of others... Nixon and the FBI were manipulating him..." (Pg. 210-211) [He notes in passing that if jurors had known of Chambers' homosexual activities, it would have destroyed Chambers' credibility and they would have acquitted him; pg. 218] He ultimately concludes, "I have no longer any basis for hoping to correct the false verdict... at least during my lifetime." (Pg. 217)
While one may remain unconvinced of Hiss's innocence of espionage---and still less of perjury---this book is essential reading for those wanting to get all sides of the Hiss/Chambers case.
Alger Hiss (1904-1996) was, of course, an American lawyer, government official (notably with the U.S. State Department) official, author, and lecturer. He was accused of being a Soviet spy in 1948 and convicted of perjury in connection with this charge in 1950, and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment; he was released from prison in 1954. Significantly, he consistently denied being engaged in "espionage" for the remainder of his life (although there is mounting convincing evidence suggesting that he had been so engaged).
In 1957, he had written the book, In the court of public opinion, which dealt in detail with his defense of himself. (He says here, "that book was part of my efforts to obtain a reversal of my unjust conviction"; pg. 150) This book, however, is a full-fledged autobiography (although his trial, and guilt/innocence are clearly major emphases in it; he wrote, "Here I want to describe the emotional experience of the two long and heartbreaking trials"; pg. 150).
He states, "I was accused of perjury because I denied... that I had given Whittaker Chambers documents from the files of the State Department for transmission to the Soviet Union... I could have obviated those two extensive and grueling trials by refusing to answer questions before the grand jury... I did not do that, in the mistaken belief that our federal judicial system was proof against public prejudice and was free of prosecutorial chicanery. I was certainly naive in believing that jurors would be insulated from the phobias of the cold war..." (Pg. 150-151)
During the trial, "I felt at times like a pawn in a game played by others... I felt like a spectator rather than a participant in my own trial... I had to sit by... listening to false testimony---to lies..." (Pg. 154) After the guilty verdict was announced, he "was stunned... The legal world I believed in had been turned topsy-turvy. I was now facing imprisonment for a crime I had not committed." (Pg. 157) After he sued Chambers for libel, "I caught sight of him fleetingly as I was going to and from the grand jury room... the impression was of a cowed, timid creature being moved from one cage to another... Chambers was a pawn in the hands of others... Nixon and the FBI were manipulating him..." (Pg. 210-211) [He notes in passing that if jurors had known of Chambers' homosexual activities, it would have destroyed Chambers' credibility and they would have acquitted him; pg. 218] He ultimately concludes, "I have no longer any basis for hoping to correct the false verdict... at least during my lifetime." (Pg. 217)
While one may remain unconvinced of Hiss's innocence of espionage---and still less of perjury---this book is essential reading for those wanting to get all sides of the Hiss/Chambers case.
August 28, 2022
It was nice to read Alger Hiss’ side of the story even though it wasn’t particularly well written. I learned some about Justices Felix Frankfurter and Oliver Wendell Holmes.
Hiss did convince me that he wasn’t a Communist, but I probably could be convinced otherwise.
Hiss did convince me that he wasn’t a Communist, but I probably could be convinced otherwise.
July 30, 2018
Didn't finish. Writing style was tedious for me...
October 16, 2019
"Let some amends be made,
To a most gallant gentleman
Who was in quicklime laid."
To a most gallant gentleman
Who was in quicklime laid."
November 21, 2009
Considering the level of scandal surrounding Hiss' life and trials I had hoped this would be an exciting retelling. But he was never an exciting personality and was probably very tired (in his eighties) when he wrote this. It shows how hard it is to be a gentleman and a public person; he remained a gentleman always.
August 1, 2014
I thought it was an entertaining piece.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews