, 4 Seeds of Treason" SIR,—In your issue of November 24th,
Mr. Max Beloff makes a virulent attack on my firm's publication-, Seeds of Treason (The Strange Case of Alger Hiss), which he calls a " malodorous book." Since the authors, who are in America, are unable to defend themselves, I hope you will allow me briefly to reply.
Mr. Beloff condemns the authors for taking for granted Chambers's credibility and Hiss's guilt. Since an American jury, after the fullest consideration of the evidence and despite the most intensive smear cam- paign against Chambers by American left-wing sympathisers, unani- mously decided that Hiss was guilty and Chambers was telling the truth, the justification filt- such condemnation is hard to understand: Mr. Beloff further states that the authors' object is "clearly political," and that the stamp of the Chiang-Kai-shek lobby is heavy on each page." Of course the authors'. object is political—it is to. try to bring to light the danger to -very country of Communist infiltration• into high places—and nothing .could please the Kremlin more than that such attempts should be condemned. As for Mr. Beloff's unsupported intro- duction of the " Chiang Kai-shek lobby" this is typical of the smear campaign already mentioned. The authors in fact are at pains to point out the excesses 4pd dangerous tendencies of the Un-American Activities Committee, with which that lobby is. generally identified.—I am, yours
Managing Director, Martin Seeker & Warburg,•Ltd. 7 John Street, W.C.I.
Previous page
