logo
episode-header-image
Jun 8
20m 2s

The Witness & the Spy | A Discussion on ...

15-Minute History Podcast
About this episode

Join us as we discuss the trial of Alger Hiss, why Whittaker Chambers became disillusioned with communism, the Rosenbergs, and the effects of the Red Scare on American society.

Join us every Monday for episodes and discussions and on Thursdays for pop quizzes and Sketches in History!

Up next
Today
Pop Quiz | A Republic in Danger
How close has America actually come to falling apart? Not in the way politicians throw the word "crisis" around today, but in real, documented, military-was-deployed, states-were-leaving moments. In this Pop Quiz episode, Jon walks through the moments that nearly broke the republ ... Show More
7m 38s
Jun 4
Sketches in History | The Witness and the Secret
Welcome back to Sketches in History! This segment, just for kids, shows that history isn't just a story; it's an adventure. Join Lottie Archer as she dives into her extraordinary notebook, where sketches from history come to life!In this episode, Lottie finds two things tucked be ... Show More
12m 7s
Jun 1
The Witness and the Spy | Hiss, Chambers, and the Rosenbergs
It is August 3, 1948, and a former Communist Party member named Whittaker Chambers walks into a House committee room in Washington, D.C., and says something that no one in the room ever expected to hear. Alger Hiss is a spy. Hiss was not some offhand bureaucrat. He had helped org ... Show More
16m 23s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2025
The Truth About Paul Revere's Ride
<p>Paul Revere's Midnight Ride is a legend of the American Revolutionary War - galloping through the Massachusetts' dark to warn Sam Adams, John Hancock and the rest that the British were coming. The next morning, those Patriots in Lexington and Concord were ready for battle. But ... Show More
41m 9s
Aug 2025
American Traitors: The Rosenbergs
This week we’re stepping heart of Cold War America with the story of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Accused of espionage and executed at the height of anti-communist paranoia, their trial gripped the nation due to the controversy, family betrayal, and questions of justice that still ... Show More
51m 23s
Jan 2025
President FDR & the New Deal
<p>In 1932, amidst the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected the 32nd President of the United States. He was more than a leader; he was a beacon of hope, steering the nation through its darkest days... and the newly-elected president had a plan.</p><br><p>In this ep ... Show More
39m 53s
Jan 2025
John F Kennedy
The second of nine children from a well-to-do family in New England, John F Kennedy fought his way up to become the most powerful man on the planet. After claiming a narrow victory in the 1960 election, Kennedy and his glamorous wife, Jacqueline, led the country on a wave of opti ... Show More
58m 53s
Aug 2024
American History Hit: 200 Episodes On
<p>Host Don Wildman has a message for listeners old and new, marking 200 episodes of American History Hit.</p><br><p>American History Hit first started publishing in 2022, and since then we've covered the first Americans, Revolution, Civil War, the World Wars and beyond. Here's t ... Show More
7m 18s
Apr 2024
1776: The Antidote to Boring American History
On this episode of Our American Stories, Historian David McCullough brings generational talent to those studying the wild realities of America's independence. After all, no one has ever lived in the past, but in the present. At the National Archive, McCullough names and thanks hi ... Show More
20m 18s