Rosenberg espionage case
The Rosenberg espionage case, involving Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, is one of the most famous espionage trials in American history, occurring during the height of the Cold War. The couple was accused of providing classified information about the U.S. atomic bomb project, known as the Manhattan Project, to the Soviet Union. Arrested in 1950 on charges of conspiracy to commit espionage, their trial began in 1951 and was marked by significant political tension and public controversy. Key testimony came from David Greenglass, Julius's brother-in-law, who claimed to have supplied diagrams of atomic projects to the Rosenbergs for transmission to Soviet agents.
Despite their adamant denial of the charges and substantial public outcry regarding the fairness of the trial, including protests from notable figures like Albert Einstein, the couple was found guilty and sentenced to death. Their appeals were ultimately denied, and they were executed in June 1953. The case remains a point of contention, with debates surrounding the evidence presented, the political climate of the era, and the implications of their convictions on civil liberties and anti-communist sentiment in the United States.
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Rosenberg espionage case
The Event: Arrest, conviction, and execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for passing U.S. military secrets to the Soviet Union
Date: 1951-1953
Place: New York State
Significance: The Rosenberg espionage case prompted an international debate, pitting national security issues against First Amendment rights, and raised questions about the American justice system’s vulnerability to the anticommunist political climate of the Cold War era.
Sometimes referred to as the Rosenberg-Sobell or “Atom Spy” case, the trial and execution of Julius Rosenberg and his wife, Ethel Rosenberg, is perhaps the best-known espionage case in American history. The Rosenbergs had a history of involvement in radical politics. In June, 1950, Julius was questioned by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after being named as a spy by his brother-in-law David Greenglass. He was arrested in July and charged with conspiracy to commit espionage under the Espionage Act of 1917. The following month saw both the arrest of Ethel and Julius’s college friend Morton Sobell.
In late January, 1951, a grand jury indicted the Rosenbergs and Sobell, along with several others for espionage activities dating as far back as 1943. Among the most serious allegations were that the Rosenbergs provided the Soviets with information about the government’s Manhattan Project, which was developing the atomic bomb, and delivered to them a proximity fuse that accelerated Soviet atomic bomb development.
The trial of the Rosenbergs and Sobell began in New York City on March 6, 1951. The prosecutors include Irving Saypol, who was well known for his successful prosecution of communist Alger Hiss, and Roy M. Cohn (who later gained notoriety as an aide to Senator Joseph McCarthy). The Rosenbergs’ defense was handled by the father-son team of Alexander Bloch and Emanuel Bloch, who were known for their legal work on behalf of labor activists and other progressive causes. The case was presided over by Judge Irving R. Kaufman.
The prosecution’s main witness, David Greenglass, told the court of how, at Julius’s urgings, he had prepared diagrams of the atomic projects on which he had worked and passed them to Soviet agents in the United States. Several other witnesses told of how the Rosenbergs and Sobell tried to recruit them as spies. Sobell himself asserted his Fifth Amendment right and did not take the stand. The Rosenbergs denied all the spying charges but refused to discuss their political affiliations. The jury returned a verdict of guilty against Sobell and the Rosenbergs on March 29, 1951. Judge Kaufman sentenced Sobell to thirty years in Alcatraz Prison and the Rosenbergs to death.
After the convictions, the National Committee to Secure Justice in the Rosenberg Case began to question the proceedings openly. They pointed out that the prosecution’s case rested completely on unsubstantiated circumstantial evidence and perjured testimony, that there was no documented evidence, and that references had been made throughout the trial to the Rosenbergs’ leftist political beliefs. Upon public discussion of the trial proceedings, many clergy and some leading scientists, including Albert Einstein, joined the movement asking that clemency be granted to the Rosenbergs. The movement continued to gain momentum and became international in scope.
The Rosenbergs sat on death row in New York’s Sing Sing Prison while several appeals were denied. During this time they were offered clemency in return for confessions but they refused the offer. In June, 1953, only days before their scheduled execution, Supreme Court justice William O. Douglas granted a stay of execution. However, in a special session two days later, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the stay and President Dwight D. Eisenhower denied a final clemency plea. On the evening of June 19, 1953, the Rosenbergs were put to death in the electric chair.
Bibliography
Meeropol, Robert. An Execution in the Family. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2003
Meeropol, Robert, and Michael Meeropol. We Are Your Sons: The Legacy of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Foreword by Eric Foner. 2d ed. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1986.
Schneir, Walter, and Miriam Schneir. 1965. Invitation to an Inquest. New York: Pantheon, 1983.