Tuesday, September 26, 2017

ALGER HISS : FRAMED : A NEW LOOK AT THE CASE THAT MADE NIXON FAMOUS
by Joan Brady 

Was Alger Hiss really a spy for the Soviets and therefore a traitor to the United States? It has certainly seemed that way with everything that has been written about him. Seventy years ago (1947), his case kept Americans transfixed and it was all anybody talked about. This was the time of the atomic age. Communists were deemed dangerous and paranoia was spread quickly by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). They needed a scapegoat and Hiss was the perfect one in their eyes.
But, maybe it wasn't so. Maybe Hiss really was innocent. Perhaps what happened to him was one big cover-up.
If you thought and believed that Alger Hiss deserved to be indicted for The Trial of the Century, then you need to read this book. Author Joan Brady turns an entire case on its head and then some. She read through all of the transcripts of both the hearings and the trial. Brady reveals how Richard Nixon was the accuser and exploiter. Nixon suppressed evidence, manipulated facts, fabricated orders of events, and bribed witnesses. No wonder he was called "Tricky Dick." It's because of this case that Nixon eventually became the President of the United States.
Brady is a crime writer and it definitely shows here. She lays out all the evidence, analyzes it, and questions everything. Brady dissects the entire case and the more she deciphers the more you shake your head that Hiss could have been found guilty. Alger Hiss: Framed is definitely a page-turner and a book not to be missed.
Highly recommended.