Tragedy occurs when a human soul awakes and seeks, in suffering and pain, to free itself from crime, violence, infamy, even at the cost of life. The struggle is the tragedy - not defeat or death.

Witness was a bestseller for more than a year and helped pay off Chambers' legal debts. Certain cover stories that present special difficulties or call for a special literary skill are written by Senior Editor Whittaker Chambers. Since Chambers still presented no evidence the committee had initially been inclined to take the word of Hiss on the matter.

Whittaker Chambers born Jay Vivian Chambers and also known as David Whittaker Chambers (April 1 1901 – July 9 1961) was an American writer and editor. After being a Communist Party USA member and Soviet spy he later renounced communism and became an outspoken opponent later testifying in the perjury and espionage trial of Alger Hiss.