When Alger Hiss, a distinguished lawyer and Washington socialite, was accused in 1948 of espionage and perjury, the shock waves went right across America. The case, brought almost single-handedly by the ambitious, young Richard Nixon , became a long-running spy mystery of extraordinary complexity with ' evidence' appearing in astonishing places - and disappearing just as strangely.
Using material obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, law professor John Lowenthal has attempted to unravel the mystery; assembling all the evidence now available as well as putting the case in its historical context and interviewing surviving participants of the trial. The result is an engrossing - and enigmatic - picture of modern American history.
Film editor MARION KRAFT
Producer JOHN LOWENTHAL
(Colour with black and white inserts)