Whittaker Chambers
Program Video Clip List
|
| Clip # |
Start Time |
End Time |
Description |
| 1 |
00:18.0 |
0:57.9 |
Clip from Alger Hiss hearings of the House Un-American Activities Committee
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| 2 |
00:58.8 |
03:06.0 |
Significance of pumpkin patch, in December 1948 where Chambers had hidden documentary evidence of Hiss' work as a communist |
| 3 |
03:40.0 |
04:40.2 |
Site of farm where he wrote his autobiography, Witness; farm is a national historic site because of Reagan's admiration for Chambers |
| 4 |
04:56.5 |
06:48.1 |
House Canon Office Building confrontation; Nixon's role as a member of the committee and a supporter of Chambers |
| 5 |
06:48.2 |
08:01.1 |
Historical background of the hearings; Truman was president and ordered legislators back to Congress to pass stalled legislation. They retaliated by forming HUAC.
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| 6 |
08:01.2 |
09:00.0 |
What Whittaker Chambers was doing in 1948; Family involvement |
| 7 |
09:00.1 |
10:09.4 |
Chambers testifying about his work for the Communist Party; some explanation about the two publications, The Daily Worker and New Masses |
| 8 |
10:09.5 |
11:03.5 |
Chambers' hometown; some of the circumstances within which he chose to become a Communist |
| 9 |
11:48.3 |
12:48.6 |
Chambers did not lead a public life, like other more well known anti-Communisits; the farm |
| 10 |
12:53.3 |
14:02.5 |
The Chambers and Hiss families were both Quaker (as was Richard Nixon's) |
| 11 |
14:39.7 |
15:32.0 |
Hiss testifying before the committee |
| 12 |
15:32.0 |
16:19.3 |
More about Alger Hiss and how he and Chambers met; their colleges |
| 13 |
16:19.4 |
17.42.2 |
Priscilla Hiss, Alger Hiss' wife |
| 14 |
18:01.2 |
18:58.7 |
Hiss' role as a founder of the United Nations; why Hiss was "targeted" |
| 15 |
18:58.8 |
19:39.2 |
Negative review of Ayn Rand's book; Chambers "wrote her out" of the conservative movement |
| 16 |
19:39.2 |
20:21.3 |
Connection to Walter Lippmann |
| 17 |
20:27.3 |
21:46.1 |
Adolph Burleigh, intelligence liason, did not act on Chambers information in 1939
|
| 18 |
21:46.1 |
22:24.9 |
How Hiss and Chambers worked together within the Communist Party apparatus |
| 19 |
22:24.9 |
23:42.3 |
What the "pumpkin papers" contained; significance of obtaining the diplomatic codes |
| 20 |
23:42.3 |
24:33.3 |
More about the writing and publication of Witness |
| 21 |
25:19.1 |
26:34.1 |
Chambers philosophies on what it meant to be "on the right" and also, pacifism |
| 22 |
26:34.2 |
29:36.5 |
Nixon on Whittaker Chambers; significance of his experience as a Communist; student of his philosophy and spirituality of fight against Communism
|
| 23 |
29:50.9 |
32:34.1 |
Chambers as a defender of Hiss; Tony Hiss on Chambers' attack on his father; Hiss' defense against Chambers |
| 24 |
33:58.8 |
35:01.0 |
The quality of Chambers work as a writer, philosopher |
| 25 |
35:09.3 |
36:44.9 |
Evocative passage from forward of Witness; fight against Communism was about the spiritual thrust of human beings
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| 26 |
37:30.1 |
40:37.0 |
Introduction of and designation of Chambers farm as a National Historic Site |
| 27 |
40:37.1 |
41:24.5 |
Spies versus people who "pass information" |
| 28 |
41:24.6 |
42:19.4 |
Reagan's admiration of Chambers |
| 29 |
44:44.2 |
46:24.5 |
How the story was portrayed by the media |
| 30 |
46:24.6 |
48:33.0 |
Truman's views of Chambers and Hiss at first and then after the evidence was revealed; also Elizabeth Bentley |
| 31 |
49:11.8 |
51:47.3 |
More about The Daily Worker and the New Masses; the committed kept clippings from them; that's how they learned about Chambers and his radical writing |
| 32 |
52:08.6 |
53:28.7 |
Comparison to Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearings |
| 33 |
53:28.7 |
56:56.5 |
Committee hearing clip about subletting a lease, buying a car; clip illustrates level of detail/evidence the committee was dealing with; this was the "trial of the century" |
| 34 |
58:07.6 |
59:25.0 |
The dangers of leaving the Communist Party; he was being followed by the KGB; reading of excerpt from letter to children on what his legacy to them will be
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| 35 |
59:29.9 |
1:01:28 |
Attraction to Russia and the Communist party-an alternative to and "salvation" from capitalism in America
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| 36 |
1:02:20 |
1:03:34 |
The punishment Hiss received and more on the climate in Russia at the time |
| 37 |
1:03:40 |
1:06:09 |
Review of the events that took place in the Canon committee room: whether or not there was a Communist conspiracy to take over the U.S. government; hope for a post-World War II internationalist view; overview of hearings |
| 38 |
1:07:55 |
1:08:30 |
Death and burial of Chambers |
| 39 |
1:08:28 |
1:11:02 |
More on the nature of espionage; what it meant to be passing information to Russia
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| 40 |
1:11:02 |
1:13:38 |
Clip from hearings; Hiss explaining how Chambers first posed as a freelance writer when coming to his office; cat and mouse game |
| 41 |
1:14:17 |
1:16:43 |
More on the nature of the relationship with the Soviet Union; level of trust from various presidents and policy makers; Hiss was on the left of these
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| 42 |
1:16:43 |
1:19:46 |
Richard Nixon's role, speech before grand jury |
| 43 |
1:20:13 |
1:21:45 |
Media portrayal and popular beliefs about the case; is there a hero and a villian?
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| 44 |
1:24:46 |
1:23:44 |
How the "left" views Hiss today; also the wives or other women within the Communist movement |
| 45 |
1:24:55 |
1:26:21 |
Legal bills and procedures |
| 46 |
1:26:22 |
1:28:25 |
What happened to Hiss after release from prison |
| 47 |
1:28:26 |
1:30:21 |
The Hiss case and revisionist history; how Soviet archives have informed the case; evaluating the significance of Hiss' actions, Nixon's role have become the bigger questions now
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| 48 |
1:30:27 |
1:32:15 |
New laws regarding espionage that came into play after the Hiss case; he could not be charged with espionage |
| 49 |
1:32:15 |
1:33:46 |
Harry Dexter White |
| 50 |
1:35:03 |
1:36:55 |
U.S. evolving relationship with Soviet Untion-starting in 1933. Ally in 41-45 |
| 51 |
1:36:55 |
1:37:47 |
Hiss may never have been a member of Communist Party; aid to Soviets was a fight against fascism |
| 52 |
1:37:47 |
1:39:54 |
Violation of agreement between US and USSR about detaining Americans |
| 53 |
1:39:55 |
1:42:43 |
Treatment of homosexuality |
| 54 |
1:43:10 |
1:44:44 |
Clip from hearings: Chamber describing how he feels about Hiss |
| 55 |
1:44:47 |
1:46:14 |
Why some on the committee were dubious of the conviction |
| 56 |
1:46:14 |
1:50:01 |
Other international relations, with Japan and China |
| 57 |
1:51:32 |
1:52:51 |
Significance of the microfilm extracted from the pumpkin: created an American politics. Made Chambers a hero to American right. Drama of the hearings. |
| 58 |
1:53:08 |
1:54:17 |
Significance of Canon conference room. Other impact of the case-Nixon's rise; the book, Witness |
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