7. He Led The House Un-American Activities Committee Investigation Into Soviet Spy Alger Hiss
Nixon first became recognised on the national political scene in 1948 when as a Congressman he led the investigation by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) into Soviet spy Alger Hiss. Although many people doubted former Communist Whittaker Chambers' allegations that ex-State Department official Hiss was a Soviet spy, Nixon believed them and ensured HUAC pursued the investigation to the end. Eventually Chambers produced the "Pumpkin Papers" - paper and microfilm copies supposedly implicating Hiss - and the ex-State Department official was convicted of perjury in 1950 for denying under oath that he had given government documents to Communists. Nixon's involvement in the Red Scare and the era of McCarthyism placed him firmly in the anti-Communist field - which made him extremely electable due to the national feeling of paranoia during the 1950s.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
