I'm trying to write a timeline which begins with Richard Nixon never becoming a congressional candidate in 1946, and I'm running into a bit of an issue near the beginning. Needless to say, Nixon's role in the Second Red Scare, especially in the Alger Hiss Trial, was immense. However, was it indispensable? Is it possible that, without Nixon, Whittaker Chambers may not have been taken as seriously and Alger Hiss may have gone unconvicted? If this is the case, how would this impact the HUAC and McCarthyism? If it is not, would the absence of Richard Nixon in Congress have had any other major impacts on the Second Red Scare, possibly bringing it to a swifter conclusion?