The VENONA Files and the Alger Hiss Case

With thanks to Chas and bek

The VENONA files are decoded cables sent from Soviet agents in the United States to Moscow. Transcripts of the intercepted cables were released by the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency in 1995 and 1996. The VENONA transcript with the most relevance to the Hiss case is #1822, sent March 30, 1945 from the Soviet's Washington station chief to Moscow. (The transcript appears below.) If one accepts that "ALES" is indeed Alger Hiss, the transcript indicates that Hiss continued to work as a Soviet agent well until at least 1945, well after his association with Chambers ended in 1938. The period of the 1940s was one during which Hiss served as an important policy maker in the State Department.

Please click on the title (link) to learn more about the VENONA files.

This post was inspired by a discussion of Ann Coulter's recent book, Treason. An excerpt:

The credibility of democrats on national defense is at stake as it has not been since McCarthy's days. Democrats are on the precipice of securing their reputation as the Chamberlains of our time. In fact, today's appeasers are worse than Neville Chamberlain: Chamberlain didn't have himself as an example. In the latest round of liberal demoralization techniques, they are once again rooting against America. You would think the most destructive terrorist attack in the history of the world would call for something new, but the liberals have simply dusted off the old cliches from the Cold War and trotted them out for the war on terrorism. The only patriotic liberal in the world is Tony Blair, and he's in England.

Every once in a while their tempers get the best of them, and like Dr. Strangelove trying to restrain the Nazi salute, liberals say what they really mean. Their own words damn them as hating America. One week before the first anniversary of 9-11, Reuters ran a photo of Ground Zero with a caption that said, "Human rights around the world have been a casualty of the U.S. 'war on terror' since September 11." Arguably thousands of Americans dying hideous deaths is a more comment-worthy "casuality" than any alleged death of "human rights" around the world. Also was it really necessary to put "war on terror" in quotation marks?

That's the difference between the "Right" and the "Left". The "Right" sees an opportunity to learn more, think for themselves, and blend it into a complete and rational thought applicable to so many other situations (political). We're able to see the ebb and flow of government. Discover the instances of history repeating itself. The "Left" on the other hand, do as they're told.