THE HISS CASE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 29, Issue 738, 4 September 1953, Page 5

THE HISS CASE

Sir-I Have read The Strange Case of Alger Hiss, and as many reviews of it as I could get my hands on. As a result I agree with the New Statesman reviewer who said "any honest reader of this book is bound to be infected by jis (the Earl Jowitt’s) misgivings." ‘The chief reasons for these misgivings might be summarised.-as follows: 1. The only significant witness for the prosecution, Whittaker Chambers, committed perjury seven times before the grand jury, 2. Since thé conviction, of Hiss, Chambers published Witness, a personal statement in which he reveals two facts unknown at the time of second trial. He, Chambers, attempted to commit suicide just prior to deciding -to produce the documents which incriminated Hiss. He had taken steps to procure for himself\"a life preserver" to guard against violence when he left the Communist Party. These two facts, together with the testimony of two trained . psychiatrists about Chambers, must cast grave doubt upon his credibility as a witness. 3. Counsel for the prosecution introduced. into. his final speech a new suggestion entirely unsupported by the evidence given, viz., that the identity of the typist of the incriminating documents might be revealed by the documents themselves. No typewriting expert would support such a contention. Eatl Jowitt gives reasons for thinking that this wnchallenged suggestion influenced the jury. 4. The judge made no summary of the evidence and gave no guidance to the jury. As the hearing lasted two months the jury must have felt bewildered on a number of issues. 5. On many occasions Earl Jowitt quotes evidence that was allowed to stand which would have been inadmissible in British courts. 6. Among a number~ of inexplicable points one.stands out..If Hiss. a highly intelligent man, was guilty, why did he not make certain of the disposal of the

fatal typewriter on which the case for the prosecution ultimately tested? Why carelessly give it away to.a servant? Several readers have taken your reviewer to task for his quite fair appraisal of this most impressive book. They «il quote reviews; let them read the book. I should be ‘surprised if they did not agree that "not proven" was the ofly satisfactory verdict.

TEACHER

(Napier),