Rosenberg trial
The Rosenberg trial, which began on March 6, 1951, involved Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, along with Morton Sobell, who were accused of espionage for allegedly providing the Soviet Union with atomic research data from the Los Alamos Project. The trial was marked by intense political scrutiny amid the Cold War's anti-communist fervor, raising significant concerns about national security and First Amendment rights. The prosecution primarily relied on circumstantial evidence and testimony from David Greenglass, Ethel's brother, while the Rosenbergs maintained their innocence throughout the proceedings.
After a swift trial that lasted only two weeks, the Rosenbergs were convicted, with both sentenced to death and Sobell receiving a 30-year prison term. The trial sparked widespread public outcry, with many questioning the fairness of the judicial process and highlighting the lack of concrete evidence against the defendants. Despite numerous appeals for clemency and public protests against their execution, the Rosenbergs were executed on June 19, 1953. Subsequent revelations, including declassified documents, indicated that while Julius did engage in espionage, the evidence against Ethel was fabricated, complicating the narrative of the trial and its outcomes. This case remains a pivotal moment in American history, reflecting the tensions of its time and the complexities of justice in politically charged environments.
Rosenberg trial
The Rosenberg espionage case created 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.
The trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and Morton Sobell, a former classmate of Julius, began on March 6, 1951. The Rosenbergs were accused of being part of a communist-inspired spy ring that supplied atomic research data from the Los Alamos project to the Soviet Union. The trial judge was Irving R. Kaufman, and the chief litigator was assistant prosecutor Roy M. Cohn. Emanuel Bloch acted as the Rosenbergs’ defense attorney. David Greenglass, Ethel Rosenberg’s brother, appeared as the government’s principal witness. The Rosenbergs insisted on their innocence of all charges throughout the trial and refused to answer questions about their political beliefs and activities. After only two weeks of court time, the trial ended with the conviction of all three defendants. Judge Kaufman found Sobell guilty of espionage not directly linked to atomic research and sentenced him to thirty years in prison. He sentenced both 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 US Supreme Court, meanwhile, refused to hear an official appeal of the case, and appeals for clemency to Presidents Harry S Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower were unsuccessful.
A stay of execution on a legal point was granted by Justice William O. Douglas but was denied by a vote of the US Supreme Court at large, which reconvened for a special term in order to rule on the case. On June 19, 1953, as thousands of people demonstrated against the executions in cities in the United States and Europe, the Rosenbergs were executed in the electric chair at Sing Sing Prison.
A series of books were written protesting what was perceived as the failure of justice and the misrepresentation of evidence in the case. Most important among them were Walter and Miriam Schneir’s 1965 Invitation to an Inquest (reissued in 1983) and Michael and Robert Meeropol’s 1986 We Are Your Sons. Documents released through the Freedom of Information Act have revealed that Greenglass devised false evidence that was used against Ethel Rosenberg in the trial and that the government attempted to use its prosecution of Ethel as a tool to force Julius to confess.
In 1995, the decades-old case took another turn when the government released formerly classified documents consisting of decoded transmissions, some of them fragmentary, between Soviet operatives. These messages show that Julius Rosenberg was indeed a Soviet spy and that Ethel was at least aware of his activities, although they do not confirm her active involvement. Although the coded messages portray Julius as the leader of a spy ring, they do not specifically contain corroboration of the charges that he transmitted high-level atomic secrets. Finally, in spite of the confirmation of Julius Rosenberg’s espionage activities, it is clear that false evidence was given by government witnesses at the trial.
Bibliography
"The Atom Spy Case." FBI. FBI, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
Casalaspi, David. "The Rosenberg Trial." Cold War Museum. Cold War Museum, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
Linder, Doug. "Trial of the Rosenbergs: An Account." Famous Trials. U of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, 2011. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
Meeropol, Robert. "Case Overview." Rosenberg Fund for Children. Rosenberg Fund for Children, 2011. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
Schneir, Walter, and Miriam Schneir. Final Verdict: What Really Happened in the Rosenberg Case. Brooklyn: Melville, 2010. Print.