John Chabot Smith (September 1, 1915 – May 16, 2002) was an American journalist and author, best known for his book: ''Alger Hiss: The True Story''.

Personal life

Smith was born on September 1, 1915, in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

, UK. He attended the Loomis Institute. He majored in history at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

. He did graduate studies at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. In 1940, Smith married Elizabeth (Betty) McCarthy of Rochester New York. They had two children; Elizabeth (Betsy) Smith and Michael Chabot Smith. They lived all over the world while he pursued his journalistic career and authored books, including Washington DC, London, Tokyo, New York City, settling in Weston CT to raise their children, and finally in Florida for retirement. His wife passed away in 1990 in Winter Park, Florida. He subsequently moved to Washington DC, and then settled in Park Slope, Brooklyn to be closer to his son Michael and his family. Smith died age 86 on May 16, 2002, in Brooklyn, New York.

Career

Smith began his career as a journalist with ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''. He joined the ''

New York Herald Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the ''New-York Tribune'' acquired the ''New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and competed ...

'' as White House correspondent. Smith covered

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

overseas for the Herald-Trib. He covered the Hiss Case for the Herald Trib and later wrote a book about it, and about Hiss’s life in general. Three other journalists who covered the case also published books about it: Bert Andrews of Hearst,

Ralph de Toledano Ralph de Toledano (August 17, 1916 – February 3, 2007) was an American writer in the conservative movement in the United States throughout the second half of the 20th century. A friend of Richard Nixon, he was a journalist and editor of ''Newsw ...

of ''

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'', and

Alistair Cooke Alistair Cooke (born Alfred Cooke; 20 November 1908 – 30 March 2004) was a British-American writer whose work as a journalist, television personality and radio broadcaster was done primarily in the United States.Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...

''. Hiss appeared with Smith at a press conference to promote the book, held at the

Overseas Press Club The Overseas Press Club of America (OPC) was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member, as was the war correspondent Peggy Hull. The club seeks to maintain ...

. Leon Dennen called him a "pro-

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correspondent."

Works

Of his book on Alger Hiss, Kirkus noted: "Don't expect bombshells. The hard evidence is slow in coming and can be bewilderingly technical when it come." According to

Allen Weinstein Allen Weinstein (September 1, 1937 – June 18, 2015) was an American historian, educator, and federal official who served in several different offices. He was, under the Reagan administration, cofounder of the National Endowment for Democracy in ...

(whose book '' Perjury: The Hiss–Chambers Case'', published in 1978, had different findings), "Smith adopted elements from a least six previous theories." The ''Western Journal of Speech Communications'' assessed the book as "thoroughly sympathetic o Hiss"

Books

* ''Alger Hiss: The True Story'' (1976) * ''The Children of Master O'Rourke: An Irish Family Sage'' (1977)

Articles

* ”Woman Informer Against Reds Is Called by Thomas Committee" ''New York Herald Tribune'' (29 July 1948) * "On Alger Hiss" ''New York Review of Books'' (25 November 1976) * "The Debate of the Century" ''Harper's Magazine'' (June 1978)

References