Concealed Enemies is a fine PBS docudrama about the Alger Hiss case and the first nationwide notice of a freshman Republican Congressman from California named Richard M. Nixon. Had it not been for the Hiss case and the surrounding publicity, Nixon said himself he probably would never have run for president. He might very well have remained one of many obscure members of Congress who history has forgotten. On the other hand, knowing Nixon if the Hiss case had never happened, he would have found another way to rise.
If there was a poster boy for the New Deal it was Alger Hiss who served throughout the Roosevelt Administration in various capacities in the Agriculture, Justice, and State Department. By 1945 he was part of the delegation with FDR at Yalta, he was also part of the American delegation at the opening of the United Nations which he work0ed to found. When accusations from Whittaker Chambers came about his being a Communist, Hiss had been chosen as President of the Carnegie Endowment for World Peace.
Chambers was an editor at Time Magazine who made the accusation in testimony before the House Un American Activities Committee of which Nixon was a member. He was not judged to be a creditable witness, changing parts of his story several times. When Hiss appeared he did not claim the Fifth Amendment which he could have, but issued a firm denial that he was not a Communist and in fact never even knew this Chambers person despite the fact that Chambers claimed they were in the same Communist cell and the families were social with each other.
And that's where he made his big mistake because whether Hiss was a spy or not and he still has his supporters on that question, he plain out lied in saying he never knew Chambers. One 'I don't recall' or 'my memory is vague' and he would have been home free. It was established beyond question that Chambers knew him back in the day. That was the perjury that he was convicted on after two trials.
Chambers is played by a profusely sweating John Harkins capturing the real Chambers as he gave his testimony at HUAC. You can see why Chambers was not considered a creditable witness.
The contrast is Alger Hiss striped pants and all played by a confident Edward Herrman. Looking every inch the elegant diplomat, he defended himself with a clarity and sincerity that no doubt served him well in negotiations. The problem is he overdid and did himself in.
The one member on the committee who did believe Chambers after a while was Peter Riegert as young Nixon. Oddly enough both Nixon and Hiss came from poor backgrounds, Hiss lost a father, brother, and sister, Nixon lost two brothers as kids. Both were bright kids who won scholarships in academics. And yet they went opposite directions politically and if you believe it, Alger Hiss went a lot further to the left than he dare admit.
Riegert is great as Nixon, you can see the genesis of the people who Anthony Hopkins and Frank Langella later played in their maturity.
Hopefully PBS will either show this film again or get it out on DVD and/or VHS and soon.
If there was a poster boy for the New Deal it was Alger Hiss who served throughout the Roosevelt Administration in various capacities in the Agriculture, Justice, and State Department. By 1945 he was part of the delegation with FDR at Yalta, he was also part of the American delegation at the opening of the United Nations which he work0ed to found. When accusations from Whittaker Chambers came about his being a Communist, Hiss had been chosen as President of the Carnegie Endowment for World Peace.
Chambers was an editor at Time Magazine who made the accusation in testimony before the House Un American Activities Committee of which Nixon was a member. He was not judged to be a creditable witness, changing parts of his story several times. When Hiss appeared he did not claim the Fifth Amendment which he could have, but issued a firm denial that he was not a Communist and in fact never even knew this Chambers person despite the fact that Chambers claimed they were in the same Communist cell and the families were social with each other.
And that's where he made his big mistake because whether Hiss was a spy or not and he still has his supporters on that question, he plain out lied in saying he never knew Chambers. One 'I don't recall' or 'my memory is vague' and he would have been home free. It was established beyond question that Chambers knew him back in the day. That was the perjury that he was convicted on after two trials.
Chambers is played by a profusely sweating John Harkins capturing the real Chambers as he gave his testimony at HUAC. You can see why Chambers was not considered a creditable witness.
The contrast is Alger Hiss striped pants and all played by a confident Edward Herrman. Looking every inch the elegant diplomat, he defended himself with a clarity and sincerity that no doubt served him well in negotiations. The problem is he overdid and did himself in.
The one member on the committee who did believe Chambers after a while was Peter Riegert as young Nixon. Oddly enough both Nixon and Hiss came from poor backgrounds, Hiss lost a father, brother, and sister, Nixon lost two brothers as kids. Both were bright kids who won scholarships in academics. And yet they went opposite directions politically and if you believe it, Alger Hiss went a lot further to the left than he dare admit.
Riegert is great as Nixon, you can see the genesis of the people who Anthony Hopkins and Frank Langella later played in their maturity.
Hopefully PBS will either show this film again or get it out on DVD and/or VHS and soon.
