This book had worldwide reach. This true story is Chamber's own confession of his time as a Communist when he infiltrated government agencies in the US by an underground association that he was the leader of. He lists his accomplices, naming people from the highest government agencies, including the Secretary of State office and the Treasury. He even had operatives working in secret military operations undercover. He describes how he would convey the message back to the heads of the Communist party in Russia.
Chambers details his time in Columbia College. After a trip to Germany, having witnessed the aftermath of WWI, he felt convinced that another world war was coming—the war we now call WWII. He learned about Communism during WWII, seeing the war and its effects. He becomes a professional writer and works for Time magazine. He experiences persecution for his political beliefs, and after feeling disenfranchised, he accepts an offer to become a spy for the Russians.
Then, he tells of the development of his conservatism, and he acknowledges that he was a Communist and a spy. He also gets called to testify before the Un-American Activities Committee and he outs Alger Hiss in his testimony. Hiss swears they never met, and he sues Chambers for libel, but Chambers proves his allegations to the court, and the court subpeonas any documents he can possible produce. He famously withdraws his documentation from his pumpkin patch where film was hidden in a pumpkin. He explains how these events helped to expose the Communist interference in American politics.
