Witness

Rating:
Summary: Compelling Reading
Review: Chambers, being a master wordsmith by trade, has put together a story that again confirms the aphorism, "truth is stranger than fiction." Any open minded reader who observes the facts of this first hand account cannot help but see the severity of the threat posed by communists in the mid 20th century. In the preface Robert Novak tells us he has read "Witness" three times (as of that date, perhaps more now) and reminds us "He (Chambers) views this struggle as inseparable from faith in God, asserting that 'man without mysticism is a monster.'"

In considering ideological warfare, listen to Chambers' analysis, "...in the war between capitalism and communism, books are weapons, and, like all serviceable weapons, loaded." In fact, it is through reading, he tells us, that his eyes were opened. Consider the challenge he lays out as he asks, "Why is it that thirty years after the greatest revolution in history, the communists have not produced one single inspired work of the mind?"

Chambers tells us he learned to pray by doing. It started as an awkward attempt, but led into a "daily need." Consider how he describes the providence of God in bringing the woman who would become his wife into his life as he writes, "Neither of us had much to do with the fact that we met again. Our meeting came about by what the world calls chance, but in which we now see the workings of a grace before which we feel reason to be reverent."

This is a classic for a reason, it's excellent! Historically it records an insider's account of a crossroads moment in American history. It is exceptionally well written. It has my highest recommendation.

Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary
Review: This may be the best biography written in the 20th Century. It tells the story of a man's journey from an agent of the Communist underground to a witness against the traitor, Alger Hiss. It is also a spiritual journey from atheism to Christianity.

I think this story should keep most intelligent readers' attention. An additional benefit is that Chambers' literary style is on such a high level, it is sure to be of benefit to readers seeking to improve the quality of their own writing.

Rating:
Summary: History through the Witness
Review: "Witness" has been on my reading list for quite some time. It is after reading Ann Coulter's "Treason", that I decided to read it to get a good understanding of Whittaker Chambers and the Alger Hiss Case. And I ended up doing this on the double: I also read Sam Tanenhaus's biography of Chambers: "Whittaker Chambers."

"Witness" was a moving account of how one person, who endured a disastrous childhood and adolescence in a dysfunctional family, was attracted to the liberal thinking, eagerly sought to become a communist, went through wrenching mental struggles with respect to communist ideology and methodology, eventually broke with the party and its underground apparatus, re-established himself in "respectable" society, and finally made a determination to expose communist infiltration of the U.S. government, culminating in his pivotal role in the trials and conviction of his friend Alger Hiss.

Many people have said this: Whittaker Chambers was a complex person. Indeed he was.

"Witness" was essentially truthful, albeit somewhat self-serving. It was filled with vivid details of Chambers's thought processes and gives a rather nuanced (although far from complete) portrayal of the communists, the "open party" as well as the underground (espionage) apparatus. Except for some minor points, Chambers's account of his life up to that point was fairly independently collaborated by Sam Tanenhaus's biography of Chambers. I say "fairly independently" because Tanenhaus referenced "Witness" quite copiously.

There were so some intentional omissions in "Witness" that are not altogether immaterial, however. Chambers did not disclose in his book that he had strong homosexual tendencies and had engaged in habitual homosexual acts for a period of time, even though he had made testimonial depositions to that effect. In fact, in "Witness", one gets the impression that he regarded his adversaries' insinuation of his homosexuality as a baseless attack. Another omission was that Chambers, in his youth, was apprehended for stealing significant number of books from two libraries, and was barred from them. These issues later emerged as a strike against him during the Hiss trials. A third, perhaps most significant "omission" was that Chambers consistently claimed that the reason he withheld the evidence of espionage was because he wanted to shield Hiss and his family from being prosecuted for that much more serious crime. The truth of the matter is that Chambers was also shielding himself from the same crime. These omissions are quite understandable and it is probably normal for autobiographers to gross over some warts and scars. In my judgment, considering the overall proportionality, they do not impair the value and truthfulness of "Witness."

To get the whole story, however, the reader is strongly recommended to also read Tanenhaus's book. Besides putting Chambers life story in a more neutral footing, with warts and all, Tanenhaus's book also gave a much more detailed version of the proceedings of the Hiss trials, as well as some interesting facets of Chambers's life after the Hiss conviction, in particular the writing and publication of "Witness", his friendship with William Buckley, Jr., and the gradual, mellowing shift of his political thinking in his last years away from the extreme right. Also, Tanenhaus's book added some new material, which surfaced years later, that tend to put Alger Hiss's guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

Back to Chambers's "Witness", it is a captivating story written with a superb writing style and a perfect mastery of the English language. And because of the unusually variegated life Chambers had lived, which touched many big events and big names in mid-century American history and with the backdrop of the epic ideological debate, it is hard to overstate the stylistic and substantive values of this book.

Rating:
Summary: A journey into light
Review: This is the true story of Whittaker Chambers. Born in depravity, he lashed out at the status quo in a typical outburst of youthful angst. Driven by the depression and a trip to post-Great War Europe, he sought a rational mental framework in the writings of Karl Marx. He immersed himself in his writings and philosophy and adopted the tactics of Lenin. He joined the American Communist Party and later migrated into the Soviet-run Communist Underground. He was charged with creating and maintaining a Communist "apparatus" in Washington DC for the purpose of generating espionage at a later date. He had several Russian masters while in this role and formed close relationships with the operatives he controlled. One of these was Alger Hiss, a darling of the liberal elite in power in FDR's administration. Chambers broke from the Communist party and returned to a seemingly normal life for a decade. Then he becomes a focal point for the House Committee that Richard Nixon was on, which was charged with finding Communist influence in US Government. Chambers served as a lightning rod for all those who saw an attack on Hiss as a challenge to the status quo. Much of what is detailed in this book has been corroborated in other's testimony and in the more recent Venona transcripts, the FBI deciphered Soviet cables.

There is another side of this book that is at least as interesting as the actual spy tale. It is the passage of a person from spiritually dead to brimming with an awake spirit willing to join in the battle between good and evil. Chambers identifies God's will as fighting the godless Communists and unraveling their efforts to cause the US to more closely resemble the USSR through the New Deal and other social programs. He laments how these imbedded Communists managed to change US policy that led to years of totalitarian rule in China. His spiritual journey is detailed here, including his failings, in considerable detail. At 800+ pages, it is not a casual read, but not merely for its length.

It is kind of eerie to read about these hidden cells of terrorists in light of the US' recent history. The tactics have not evolved that much, and yet they are still deadly in the US because of the freedoms we enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Tragedy and Redemption
Review: The most important autobiography of the 20th Century, Whittaker Chambers' Witness improves with each reading. One man's struggle between good and evil has rarely been so eloquently recorded. Embroiled in an internal dilemma that personified the Cold War battle, Chambers remains America's quintessential dark horse hero.

While some seem eager to defile Chambers' credibility, time has proven Witness to be the sincere accounting of a unique man's winning battle against evil. True, Chambers was a troubled and desperate man, but only such an individual could have recorded this stunning work of both political and literary significance. It saddens this reviewer that Witness is not required reading for all American high school seniors.

Witness is recommended to all readers who desire a better understanding of American communism in the wake of the New Deal. Chambers offers an insider's perspective that is unmatched in the genre. While Chambers doubted that his choice against communism was a triumphant one, the reader now knows that the author's fears were never realized. Americans have their deity, and Chambers (among others) to thank.

Rating:
Summary: Radically change your view on the Cold War
Review: I'm currently studying as a history major and found Chambers' "Witness" an incredible insight on the Cold War period. It has affected my perspective in a way that no other book I've ever read has. Of all the books I've been assigned to read that suggested that communism is benign and that both the United States and the Soviet Union were equally culpable for the Cold War, Whittaker Chambers has provided a formidable counterweight. I wish my professors could read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Waste of time
Review: Chambers is not a conservative. He is a collectivist who switched from an atheist collectivist philosophy to a mystical Christian collectivist philosophy. He has done more damage to the philosophies of the right than any socialist could hope. If you want to read something by a real conservative read Ayn Rand. If you are reading Chambers you might as well read Marx. At the core they are the same.

Rating:
Summary: One of the most important books of our time
Review: When Ronald Reagan was asked by a reporter what the most important book that he ever read was he answered without hesitation "The Witness, by Wittaker Chambers". The book has influenced the lives of many including my own. Wittaker gives a very honest veiw of himself, what influenced him towards communism, and then what drove him away. The book is not all about the Alger Hiss case, it does however give Wittakers point of view on this. Of course today it is well known since the declassification of the VENONA papers that Alger Hiss was indeed a communist spy. This book comes very highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: What motivates these people?
Review: I've read extensively on the French and Russian Revolutions and I still can't grasp the hatred of history, society, Christianity, capitalism, etc. that leads the revolutionary to dedicate his entire being to subverting and undermining all of them. Chambers' _Witness_ talks a little of what drove him and other Communist agents to recruit, infiltrate, and spy on America. I found it a facinating and superbly well-written book.

The only drawback: I doubt that Chambers was quite as noble and naive as he paints himself and to that extent the book is a touch self-serving, but it is easy to recognize and ignore.

ofs

Rating:
Summary: Master of Deceit
Review: At first W. Chambers claimed that Alger Hiss and others were secret Communists whose purpose was to influence policy (from 1939 to November 1948). After being sued for slander Chambers produced 69 documents to support his claim of spying. Chambers earlier stated he was a Communist until "1935", or "early 1937", or "the end of 1937", or "the spring of 1937". The documents were dated between January 5 and April 1 of 1938. Chambers then changed his story to leaving on April 15, 1938. You can judge his veracity by this. Note his memory of wallpaper patterns!

The original State Department files were rated "classified" to "secret". Most consisted of trade agreements, which were of commercial, not political, importance. When Chambers learned that Alger Hiss could not type, he then claimed Priscilla did it! (Did writer and translator Chambers ASSUME that other men had this skill?) The most telling fact about these documents is that most had never been routed through sections where either Alger or Donald Hiss had worked! This discrepancy has never been explained. When the contents of the three rolls of microfilm were released in 1975, they were found to be Navy Dept instructions on how to use life rafts, fire extinguishers, and chest parachutes. Where did they come from?

The biggest lie of all is Chamber's claim that the stored documents were a "life preserver". Because they had no value without his testimony to corroborate them! He should have seen a lawyer, made a notarized statement, and left immortal testimony. But then it couldn't be changed to explain new facts.