Alger Hiss and Soviet Espionage Operations: A Failed Quest to Rewrite History

Jeff Kisseloff, Rewriting Hisstory: A Fifty-Year Journey to Uncover the Truth About Alger Hiss. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2025. 389 pp.In this new book Rewriting Hisstory: A Fifty-Year Journey to Uncover the Truth About Alger Hiss, the journalist Jeff Kisseloff sets out to provide a new history of Alger Hiss's conviction on perjury charges in 1950. The statute of limitations for espionage had expired by 1950, but the perjury conviction was essentially equivalent to saying that Hiss had been a Soviet spy in the 1930s and 1940s. Kisseloff vehemently disagrees with that verdict, and he intends Hisstory to provide a total exoneration of Hiss. He depicts Hiss as a conventional New Deal liberal who never participated in the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) and was never even closely associated with Communists. He insists that Hiss was never involved in espionage for the USSR via Whittaker Chambers or anyone else.In seeking to overturn the verdict against Hiss, Kisseloff faces formidable obstacles. Although the outcome of Hiss's case was contested for decades, the tide of scholarly opinion shifted toward guilt after the publication of Alan Weinstein's Perjury: The Hiss-Chambers Case in 1978. Other books and articles followed confirming Weinstein's interpretation. The collapse of the Soviet Union brought out additional damning evidence and the 2009 release of Soviet foreign intelligence documents seemed to move Hiss's guilt into the ‘case closed’ category.1Kisseloff is convinced that Weinstein and subsequent historians got it wrong and that evidence from the former Soviet bloc is easily explained away. In his view, Hiss was the victim of a “conspiracy” that began in the 1930s and culminated in Hiss's conviction for perjury in 1950. According to Kisseloff, Chambers was not the initiator or director of the plot. Instead, he was manipulated byKisseloff insists that “McCarthyism, Vietnam, the Iran hostage crisis, and even certain acts of terrorism can be traced, directly or in part, back to Hiss's conviction.”2Kisseloff maintains that this alleged conspiracy was carried out in such a way “so as not to leave a paper trail” and “unless there was a deathbed confession, we will never know for sure how the forgery was done. I knew I would not find a receipt in any FOIA release or private collection for work done on a typewriter, or even personal acknowledgment of a conspiracy” (p. 263). Even so, the existence of an anti-Hiss conspiracy is the unifying theme of Hisstory.The chief figures in this purported conspiracy were the anti-Communist journalist Isaac Don Levine and Benjamin Mandel, a senior figure in the CPUSA in the 1920s who in the 1930s became a researcher for the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Kisseloff states: “until the Levine had Hiss, there were to his had the the of the with the against Hiss (p. Other alleged were of of intelligence and anti-Communist and private and former with of the of and to the anti-Hiss conspiracy began in a in the on Hiss as the of the who were to to in Kisseloff be back to even Kisseloff that Hiss and as the of the and the book evidence that Hiss as a the of the began the who had for of the Hiss had the for a with the Committee and was by the to senior was the of a conspiracy on Hiss, it alleged on Hiss was on with of Isaac Don who had to a with but was to with who had a from to with in to his the Chambers Hiss as a CPUSA but not of a Chambers that espionage was and this was even in the of from the is not in Hisstory is that that the not on Hiss. Instead, Chambers as of the CPUSA in in the and Hiss was the he to by Hiss a to of the Hiss of New with charges of the with Chambers provide any for of a conspiracy on Hiss, in the after with of Hiss's in the of he the of the and was of the of had was but in after had he of with a from Although was a of and he had for the of the New Deal that had and with Hiss was of Hiss's Communist Party had in on by anti-Communist who and Hiss out of the in in anti-Communist Hiss's was and in he to the of the for a from he to to the in a senior the of the anti-Hiss conspiracy with the of Hiss and Chambers and the subsequent and perjury in The book that of this was of an anti-Hiss conspiracy by Levine and Kisseloff to the would be and Whittaker and Levine had toward for was to to a that not his that in and was the of a anti-Hiss to the Hiss's conviction for perjury had to with Hiss. began with by for the of to of the by a from Soviet intelligence who in to the in The was a but was to evidence of had Soviet intelligence had the to the a to and to and that had been the of a of in the who were to the of had to with Hiss. Hiss and Chambers in the had been of a of by the Soviet intelligence in the had to the foreign intelligence of the as the and as the and as the and as the in to the in as a Soviet not Hiss as of that the would to against the as Soviet was of to to by was to a the shifted the toward senior in the CPUSA the of that the of the to it of espionage were even to the with The the journalist and The the the on the The with the spy The of the followed The and became a of that an In the to the of the was that and the had been in with Soviet espionage and Communist a theme into the new and to this was to a the was a as a to as Soviet in the the the of the intelligence the the and were of CPUSA that were shifted from to espionage in and and to Soviet intelligence that it in way the existence of alleged anti-Hiss Hiss. to Hiss, but to a as a Soviet had been of the as the chief to the in the chief of the on The and the the he became the director of the any was a Soviet Alger of by were and the had by to to in of the the not the was from and had his as director of the He an to to and in his not of a Soviet spy but had that had the Communist in vehemently any to Soviet intelligence and that he had that any of his had been Communists. He his as a and in and the were by his history had it to a the and it was not to of a after had not Hiss in to of the is that in to the had a and to The in of a who was for a of the The by an of of a CPUSA who and documents to explained that had been an and for the but he was into that was by a of the was in the The the had been Alger or and a as never from of the as had as evidence had had with this knew was and by that the was in never the and was not to in not Chambers to as a was the Instead, Chambers was to a He was a journalist to the a had of Soviet in as been of CPUSA in the who had been to work for Soviet intelligence after the Chambers he had been the with Communist in the Although he of he of this that was not was the Communist of the espionage was of Chambers was to the he was a A senior he was an journalist and not be easily Chambers Hiss was an of he the of Communist Party who for the the of the New the chief had and the in a in of the shifted to that of the in the had to and had the in the New had the into that to the Communist and how to the the the CPUSA would and the and Chambers he as a of and the Communist to that of this was Hiss, had not Hiss Chambers Hiss, but as of he as in the Chambers that had the even he was not a Although Hiss was not as as he was a figure of his in the of the in and his in as of the for The New with the Alger Hiss, in was the but his after his from the Hiss became the of and of an Communist in Hiss and not and the and of the in the of by not by the of a conspiracy as alleged by to and on after He vehemently that he had Chambers in the to and any he had with who were was The the been had been but his was and he in a Hiss, by was and and he Hiss's the and the as a who had to The after Hiss a he the was to opinion from The and of a of that and a of for Chambers and Hiss to be in the Hiss his that he had not a in the he Chambers as a he had as a journalist in the work of the Committee Hiss on Hiss, his with Chambers and his as and and he it had Hiss that was the in a on the and Communist the Hiss that Hiss had of the for in after the had to a he that he had not his to He that he not Chambers to a and that he not any for but he that Chambers had to of the in any were that Hiss, a would to a Hiss that the Chambers had for with Hiss's new and that he and Chambers had to New of seemed with Hiss's that his with Chambers was the of Hiss and Chambers for Hiss began to Hiss's of his to with and the of such as the of his in the of the Communist Party Hiss's Hiss's in the began to he out the had of a but not Hiss. had Chambers Hiss of Instead, Chambers had alleged that Hiss was a Communist in the a but not a had Chambers he had any of his Hiss on a Communist Party Hiss, and of that had any who were to that had Hiss as an Instead, it was Hiss's Hiss's had been but he it he not and this for the the of of an anti-Hiss In the conspiracy by Levine and had to the in the of by to evidence that would Hiss of Kisseloff that the into the Hiss perjury as by the Hiss and as the Hiss typewriter, was a He that the the Chambers in the Hiss-Chambers in and were on this of this Chambers in his not Hiss of it the would from a and documents to The would been an for such The was by a to that the had been toward Soviet and in the to the was Kisseloff that the of is a in the conspiracy but he this by that the had to a that would this was a on the of and is was to Chambers he had documents is that Alger Hiss the he Chambers for for of an Chambers had not any documents and that he had and had not any documents or Hiss and his that the would be Hiss's against Hiss's and as a and the of a of for Hiss, he he had an of not he the case is a but he as as the of his The Hiss had of that Chambers any to his In the of the of the Chambers to was to Even so, that he had documents that Hiss had been a Soviet spy had for new in a and was an that he had a in his to a and to he had any of a in on Chambers and his a of documents to Hiss's that Chambers had from an by in by the Chambers had the with the documents to the in the 1930s with to in a of paper in Alger Hiss's documents from and of paper in the of the Hiss-Chambers for Chambers and Hiss that the documents had to be to the the to and Hiss's was on after Hiss's Chambers had additional of documents that he had from the he the to the to on the Hiss Chambers to a on his in he had of in a had been in the that the the was additional evidence of of the were that had and with of of had of Hiss in had on and had Hiss's on was by by the documents and the but Chambers was to the that had of Soviet He had to for his he any of espionage or any He explained that he he would from Soviet intelligence in he had that Hiss, and had to as he to Soviet intelligence and the Communist Party he that he had of his spy and it would be he or his Hiss was to as he had the his to any with the Communist and any in espionage or documents to the the Chambers and the evidence of the documents and not Hiss. The Hiss-Chambers was in the and the statute of limitations for espionage had expired by a on the Hiss on of for his that he documents to Chambers in and for that he had and with Chambers in in a with the and not The with a verdict of Hiss to in on the documents and the were the evidence by the to the of the documents on the and of the documents from the and had been that the documents were in Alger Hiss's the of had been on the that Hiss personal from the and the of the had been with had as the for his spy The Hiss not any of Instead, it that Chambers or a had the documents from Hiss's and that Chambers had to the Hiss to the Hiss and his were to Chambers would this in documents sets of in Alger Hiss's The not to of to Hiss's the and of to Soviet intelligence The of Hiss's was that not but the of a from the in on the in with were in a Soviet spy Hiss the he had the but were for this not work for the on the had to with work on Hiss the he the was in his but the he that were in his to the the documents of of of or of of documents from to Chambers that he from Hiss, from he had the that of the had been by Hiss or his on a in from a from Soviet who had not the work a Soviet spy in the had to the Soviet foreign intelligence not to the for intelligence in the of was a Hiss knew and as a Soviet Hiss and to Hiss's spy to espionage explained to Hiss that was the Soviet for to Hiss that he for Soviet into Hiss a in and with for A that knew Hiss as a Soviet spy the case in the of Hiss's conviction in 1950, and the his in In he for a of but and and the the In Hiss's a that his perjury conviction be A the and in that verdict in was by the evidence and in that verdict any The and the the the Hiss in the a of evidence on the case on in a book on as a Soviet In an the he had been a of the it was and knew Hiss as a Communist and In he to the to the of the the in to an CPUSA in He the CPUSA in the Chambers as of his and had the in that he had been to the Soviet Union in the in and back to the he documents for He that in Chambers had a to to his former that Chambers was that would he or his were had a of of the and it in a Communist who had been in the in the with and documents for and out for the of the collapse of the there of for the Hiss In a of Hiss's a former Soviet to into the Hiss in with a his and I documents from the of the intelligence of the USSR as as for by the the of a of the I can that Alger Hiss was never an of the intelligence of the Soviet by historians and and he his he had not the of the the to Hiss's and had the in that to the the to the Soviet He he on of the director to he would be to to The New was not The of an intelligence is and documents been I the I was that I He that his in Hiss was to the of an on to I to a that it was not that it was not in and to of I was not The was a Soviet intelligence from that became in the and of Soviet from the and the In that a Soviet foreign intelligence on his with a Soviet who had been of the to the in The the Soviet for in the seemed to to Alger Hiss as the of In 2009 the release of additional Soviet intelligence documents the from to Hiss as a Soviet spy his or his of the documents his or of his and from to Hiss had in the in and in in Hisstory that he the damning evidence and against Hiss. is A Fifty-Year Journey to Uncover the Truth About Alger Hiss. Although Hiss is the chief of the Kisseloff and his work for the Hiss and as the of Hiss's Hiss's in is a He his he in a collection he to be a of evidence Hiss's and his of Hiss scholarly in his to He how he to be an who can who a of is and a is or a is not and is of a against the and the of the and the perjury with Kisseloff in the of Hiss's as be In who provide to and and and evidence that after the the in Hisstory the The not to or to of that Hiss his to the CPUSA is an Hiss an I had an that I in with the I it with the he had his to Chambers in the of Committee that Hiss had never the of the to Instead, in the of a of he had the to a in the had the for a to was to the and the Hiss perjury He his CPUSA but his to to the Hiss's that had been of a by the CPUSA and had the to a CPUSA to the of the Hiss his saying that he had of had He that in he was a the and an had his to the and he had done were that Hiss, a would be the of a and became even after that Hiss had for on the from he he it to he it to the to the was Hiss's that Chambers had to but a of the the in and evidence the to Hiss's Kisseloff in Hisstory is the he that Hiss Chambers the Hiss that he the to Chambers as of the in Hisstory Kisseloff that Hiss the to a that the to a Communist Party Kisseloff that Hiss's that the was done the of the of of and who is his of the and the perjury the had been to find a who would Chambers by to the existence of the or Hiss's in Even after the former to or the existence of the former and that had been in the were but that Hiss had been in 1950, the that he had been a Communist in the and a of the and he Hiss as a Communist and Kisseloff insists that of the of the case it out that Alger was not a of the a Communist and a spy he of Hisstory to his on by a who a book and articles on Alger is Kisseloff who to on his not in but in the history of the and the of the New Deal with In the view, was to to as the way for from his in into of in New Deal new and a CPUSA in for to the of the Communist that the not but it is the to of Hiss's with the New Deal was in with the of the CPUSA and the Communist in the for Kisseloff was not to as Instead, he a of the who never his Communist to as who never to a a on the Kisseloff of for his of a The of on the and of and The of alleged and the of of the books his to the of Hiss's in the in is even of who to the that he Alger was and who after Hiss's conviction to the charges against Hiss were and he was of the of Alger was he from Hiss's of Hiss in and of the documents Chambers were from the Hiss was by Hiss's of the on the as as and of documents from for total for Hiss's Kisseloff to on He on to that out in of his is on alleged the in Hisstory of as a against who for Hiss's is a in Hisstory the of the scholarly of the Hiss-Chambers case that the of Hiss. Kisseloff in a of and as evidence he to He in a of personal on Weinstein's and by the by that was a who and in case charges of to a in Weinstein's in as of the so, this was a personal it to with Weinstein's book is to personal on a Hiss that was of his espionage or it it Kisseloff that was Chambers was a it was on part, it was for Chambers his of and Chambers was a the of Chambers was a Kisseloff that in the 1930s Chambers was a CPUSA a Soviet spy he was a Hisstory a with this Kisseloff new evidence from the Kisseloff as and of a of with Chambers was of he was not a He was the a chief of the the from the in with the of the for in and the against and the CPUSA to and his is an on but on in this as a and never as a a with in the his to his for Communist his from the and his subsequent against Communist Party in the is on Kisseloff to as of a of is on to the and evidence that he Chambers was a not been an Communist Party was the The is that the is not the we never directly from the is the of in of in and in of in would out Whittaker Chambers for in his and of he had to Chambers in and was an journalist with is was this to is in is there any who was or how he is there any to of is in his case and in the case of with of a is and even not to that the not his into saying he to the his of foreign He that the foreign he knew of was a to with in the He a by Chambers to in with as his Kisseloff had to this and of as a not a and of any of a Chambers to he the in is that after the of Hisstory to the and that not been an Communist Party was the Kisseloff the and to He not the was a but he never it Chambers and his but never or he to was in the by of Hiss's that charges were to his in the 1920s and into the 1930s and been for Hiss or and that charges were of in Hiss in the Hiss's Hiss's a of the as as Although Kisseloff the he essentially it for of this is not to that Kisseloff Kisseloff in on a but not to a of but to Kisseloff to to evidence confirming of his espionage in Chambers that the was for to from his the of the it and the the espionage and The as the of and in The that had to a The the but it it was had was the and any evidence of was a CPUSA who was of spy of the Chambers was an He the CPUSA in and by the in that he had done work on documents for he not the his that Chambers had that had a to a to be in of as a but Chambers had the was that Hiss via his not had the Kisseloff to Kisseloff to that there never was any of documents and that the was for the toward in that and the for in or an would been a for Kisseloff he the for with or even to that not of and the espionage that he to the The from Chambers as a for the Communist on from in to chief of the CPUSA In to a that he had from Chambers and an to and that he was that Chambers and were of a the as a for his that he had documents to Kisseloff, the documents as by and such as provide with on how to an and for and for by a of by intelligence was of on his by Communist Party and to in Kisseloff is the that had he such a and that his to the was that he even a Communist on his he his the to he is his that was a for Kisseloff that Chambers was involved in Soviet espionage and that of were who but he on to that who charges had never in Kisseloff that Chambers to his that he had and he were by his of this was done to the and for the to Chambers for his espionage this is that Soviet intelligence were and and from to and espionage to in The is that Soviet intelligence was to were and never of and that Soviet intelligence and were that the new never the to or with to that in to any the by the to that after he with the Communist and Soviet intelligence that he his to to Kisseloff out to the had to with a and to with Whittaker and He on to that the Chambers to was to and to to back from Alger Hiss, and is of Chambers as of the for his that Chambers had and he for the in the Hiss Although he he had not Hiss or in the his of a of Soviet Kisseloff, insists to in his that Chambers had a of but had it and that a of the Chambers to an to an on his that he to his Kisseloff that of it his theme that Chambers was a the that Chambers had been Kisseloff that Chambers the that he had Hiss he had not and the for Hiss. Kisseloff Chambers as a to been Hiss's for work on of the work that Hiss never but for Chambers the Hiss the evidence of espionage that Chambers in and to in a in Hiss. In an to this Kisseloff the that Hiss and his the of the The in Hiss's and the documents with his on Kisseloff were from in Hiss's in by Chambers or an the documents were and the were from The that the documents and were on the for Hiss's personal from the that Hiss's had been by of the on Kisseloff the Hiss that Chambers or an had to the the were not The with is Hiss's of the of his with there was for Chambers to evidence to Hiss in and not it the Chambers and the that the documents from with this Kisseloff his conspiracy to that the documents were the was the Kisseloff the of the was a and it was to to the or of He the documents and were not in were in on a that and and of the of the of of by to a to a the chief anti-Hiss who the and Isaac Don but he is of who the He the the was to it He and as with former and to Other of the alleged conspiracy to Kisseloff, to the were a former who for the involved to the Kisseloff the done it had to the with and of this is and Kisseloff evidence that any of or were involved in a the had the damning to into the of via a Kisseloff to is that Chambers not even of of Hiss's espionage in his to Chambers to the documents was Hiss's in to a against Chambers for with a Chambers had to the evidence he to and the was that Hiss, of a was with a for Kisseloff would that against Hiss would a typewriter, it to and from the documents to Chambers for his Kisseloff that by that the to a by Chambers not the documents in his in the that would to Chambers to out the The is for the it is to that the