This is a copy of a telegram sent by Ambassador William C. Bullitt to Secretary of State Cordell Hull. In it, Bullitt relates a conversation he had with the Chinese ambassador in Moscow, Dr. Tingfu Tsiang, regarding possible Soviet participation in the Sino-Japanese conflict.
This document was found inside a pumpkin on the Maryland farm of Whittaker Chambers on December 2, 1948. Chambers accused Alger Hiss (a high Department of State official) of being a spy for the Soviet Union in testimony given to the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). HUAC, originally formed in May 1938, investigated disloyalty among American citizens and became extremely powerful during the Cold War years when it focused its investigations on left-wing political activities (especially on individuals accused of Communist sympathies).
The documents were copies of classified letters and telegrams originated in the Department of State or forwarded to the Department by personnel in overseas posts. The documents themselves were created between 1930 and 1944. These filmed records (dubbed the “Pumpkin Papers”) were used as evidence to convict Hiss on a charge of perjury.
