They were both found guilty. He was a physicist at Los Alamos, and a valuable source to the Soviets. Photograph: Craig F Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty. did not give her a code name, and evidently did not consider her a spy; and the prosecutions strategy was to use Ethel to coerce her husband to confession.. (Sobell and Gold received 30-year prison terms, and Greenglass, who was tried separately, was sentenced to 15 years in prison.) Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, following their arrest by the FBI in New York city for espionage, 1950. "[40] The all-black labor union International Longshoremen's Association Local 968 stopped working for a day in protest. This new testimony, now against Julius and Ethel, was part of a deal granted to the Greenglasses. They were the only American civilians executed for espionage during the Cold War. Abandoning that effort, he returned to Mexico City. They also defendedSobell, who was put on trial with the Rosenbergs. I ask if she can think of a modern equivalent of Ethels predicament: incarceration by association. "[56], Boris V. Brokhovich, the engineer who later became director of Chelyabinsk-40, the plutonium production reactor and extraction facility that the Soviet Union used to create its first bomb material, alleged that Khrushchev was a "silly fool". Her children were shunted around and then went into care. Myles Lane, a member of the prosecution team, said that the case against Ethel Rosenberg was "not too strong", but that it was "very important that she be convicted too, and given a stiff sentence. Their trial remains controversial today. The second son of read more. Decrypted cables revealed this information through theVenona project. (The former was released as the motion picture Daniel in 1983.) He worked for a time at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, where research was going on into radar, missile controls and electronics. [42] Pope Pius XII appealed to President Dwight D. Eisenhower to spare the couple, but Eisenhower refused on February 11, 1953. He also stated that he believed Ethel was only guilty of being Julius wife and was not an active participant in the espionage ring. In June 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for conspiracy to commit espionage under the U.S. Julius Rosenbergwas a key Soviet spy who passed along information to the Soviet Union and recruited Manhattan Project spies. He opened thetrial by stating: The evidence will show that the loyalty and alliance of the Rosenbergs and Sobell were not to our country, but that it was to Communism. [26] Julius and Ethel were put under pressure to incriminate others involved in the spy ring. Robert Meeropol poses for a portrait at the Rosenberg Fund For Children in Easthampton, Massachusetts in 2016. They agreed with President Dwight D. Eisenhower when he issued a statement declining to invoke executive clemency for the pair. What could he have said? This collection provides interesting Agency insights on this post-WWII spy case. This love of Communism and the Soviet Union soon led them into a Soviet espionage ring.. Gordon Dean, the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, said: "It looks as though Rosenberg is the kingpin of a very large ring, and if there is any way of breaking him by having the shadow of a death penalty over him, we want to do it." Corrections? 32), executed by the federal government of the United States, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Deputy Attorney General of the United States, Capital punishment by the United States federal government, List of people executed by the United States federal government, "What the K.G.B. He confirmed that Julius Rosenberg was "in a conspiracy that delivered to the Soviets classified military and industrial information [on] the atomic bomb," and "He never told me about anything else that he was engaged in. This connection would be necessary as evidence if there was to be a conviction for espionage of the Rosenbergs. The two were frequently regarded as victims of cynical and vindictive officials of the FBI. On April 5, Judge Kaufman sentenced them to death, and sentenced Sobell to 30 years in prison. For this success Rosenberg received a $100 bonus. The American pair were . Venona documentsproved that Julius Rosenberg helped lead a productive ring of Soviet spies. In 1940, Julius joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps as a civilian engineer. During the 1940s, the U. S. Army Signal Intelligence Service (SIS) conducted the Venona project. Indeed, by your betrayal you undoubtedly have altered the course of history to the disadvantage of our country. Julius Rosenberg (May 12, 1918 - June 19, 1953) and Ethel Rosenberg ( ne Greenglass; September 28, 1915 - June 19, 1953) were an American couple who spied for the Soviet Union. Neither President Truman nor President Eisenhower granted requests to remove the death sentence. A native of Belgium, De Smet came to the United States in 1821 at the age of 20. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). They were both found guilty of the crimes of espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union. All 119 References in We Didnt Start the Fire, Explained, Spies Like Us: 10 Famous Names in the Espionage Game, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Julius-Rosenberg-and-Ethel-Rosenberg, Atomic Heritage Foundation - The Rosenberg Trial, Spartacus Educational - The Trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, Famous Trials - Trial Of The Rosenbergs: An Account, Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Communist Party of the United States of America. Julius Rosenberg was an engineer for the U.S. Army Signal Corps who was born in New York on May 12, 1918. [30], On March 29, 1951, the Rosenbergs were convicted of espionage. Gold paidGreenglass $500 in exchange for information about the implosion lens in the atomic bomb. Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg (1915-1953) and Julius Rosenberg (1918-1953) were American Communists who were thrust into the world spotlight when they were tried, convicted, and executed for spying for the Soviet Union.The accuracy of these charges remains controversial, though decades later, Soviet communications decrypted by the VENONA project became publicly available and appeared to indicate . The FBI arrested Greenglass for espionage in June of 1950. The Rosenbergs were small fry, but the government or the FBI or both were absolutely determined to make an example of them. Here's the story of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Some scholars suggest that the chances of Ethel being executed would have been less likely had Venona documents been unclassified and used in the trial. John Earl Haynes, Harvey Klehr, and Alexander Vassiliev. A country prepared to flout the law, to instil fear, and to also arrest his girlfriend: does that not strike you as terrifying?, She was removed from the electric chair after three charges, only for it to be discovered her heart was still beating. She had a brother, David Greenglass. Robert and Michael Rosenberg, Julius and Ethels six and 10 year old sons, pictured at the home of Bernard and Sonia Bach, friends of the Rosenbergs, New Jersey, before their parents execution. Klaus Fuchs, a German scientist working in Los Alamos, was convicted in the United Kingdom. "[52], At the grand jury, Ruth Greenglass was asked, "Didn't you write [the information] down on a piece of paper?" Ethel Rosenberg: A Cold War Tragedy by Anne Sebba, W&N 20, 304 pages/St Martin's Press $28.99, 304 pages Rebecca Abrams is the author of 'The Jewish Journey: 4,000 Years in 22 Objects . "You sat the Rosenbergs in the electric chair for nothing", he said. The documents also suggest the Ethel acted as an accessory to her husbands activity, but that she did not play a principal role. For two years the Rosenberg case was appealed through the courts and before world opinion. Mr. Bloch [their counsel], who delivered one of the main orations, bitterly exclaimed that America was "living under the heel of a military dictator garbed in civilian attire": the Rosenbergs were "Sweet. During the next two years, the couple became the subject of both national and international debate. On March 29 they were found guilty, and on April 5 the couple was sentenced to death. At a time when American fears about communism were high, the Rosenbergs did not receive support from mainstream Jewish organizations. This April 5, 1951, Universal Newsreel reports on the death penalty for Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. A letter from Michael and Robert Rosenberg pleading for the life of their parents. Julius Rosenberg was a key Soviet spy who passed along information to the Soviet Union and recruited Manhattan Project spies. All Rights Reserved. Ethel, at Julius's request, had taken his notes and "typed them up." Many commentators of the time argued that the death penalty was used unjustly in the courts as a way to force the Rosenbergs and others to confess to espionage, or to name others involved. The subsequent trial of the Rosenbergs made news all over the world. Ethel's execution did not go smoothly. They were persuaded to change their original stories. That same year, the FBI arrested both Greenglass and Gold based on information provided by Fuchs. As a result of this new testimony, all charges against Ruth Greenglass were dropped. [37], Others, including non-Communists such as Jean Cocteau and Harold Urey, a Nobel Prize-winning physical chemist,[38] as well as Communists and left-leaning figures such as Nelson Algren, Bertolt Brecht, Albert Einstein, Dashiell Hammett, Frida Kahlo, and Diego Rivera, protested the position of the American government in what the French termed the U.S. Dreyfus affair. Nickelodeons (named for a read more, Francesca Rojas two young children are killed in their home in the small town of Necochea, Argentina. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were American Communists who captured and maintained world attention after being accused and convicted of spying for the Soviet Union.. For all questions, she asserted her right to not answer as provided by the U.S. Constitution's Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination. By 1942, Julius was heavily involved with espionage activities for the Soviet Union. Harvard Law professorAlan Dershowitzstated that the Rosenbergs were guilty and framed, suggesting that they were spies, but that evidence was still fabricated against them, causing them to have an unjust trial and punishment. Two more electric shocks were applied, and at the conclusion eyewitnesses reported that smoke rose from her head. His wife, born Ethel Greenglass, also in New York, on September 28, 1915, worked as a. Their case against Ethel Rosenberg was resolved 10 days before the start of the trial, when David and Ruth Greenglass were interviewed a second time. A mix of June and 19th, Juneteenth has become a day to commemorate the end of slavery in America. [27], The trial of the Rosenbergs and Sobell on federal espionage charges began on March 6, 1951, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Key to the prosecution's case was testimony by Ethel's . Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were the only spies executed during the Cold War and some question whether their sentence was fair. Communism in this country and Communism throughout the world. An American Tragedy By Anne Sebba. Greenglass secretly testified before a grand jury in August 1950. It was never in doubt that Julius Rosenberg had conducted acts of espionage. Through her activism with the Communist Party, she met Julius Rosenberg in 1936. Most of them clearly regarded the Rosenbergs as martyred heroes and more than 500 mourners attended to-day's services, while a crowd estimated at 10,000 stood outside in burning heat. Venona Documents from the National Security Archive. J. In 1939, he graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. He was 51. On July 17, 1950 the FBI arrested Julius, and one month later Ethel was arrested. They claim:The Greenglasses lies were necessary to obtain Ethels conviction; the K.G.B. Ethel and Julius denied all allegations of espionage, and refused to provide any names. Upon returning home later, Rojas claimed to have seen read more, The most successful and feared Confederate commerce raider of the war, the CSS Alabama, sinks after a spectacular battle off the coast of France with the USS Kearsarge. [35], Across the world, especially in Western European capitals, there were numerous protests with picketing and demonstrations in favor of the Rosenbergs, along with editorials in otherwise pro-American newspapers, and a plea for clemency from the Pope. Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg were American citizens executed for conspiracy to commit espionage, relating to passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. An exoneration is what the two sons would like, the author says. [45], The execution was scheduled for 11p.m. that evening, during the Sabbath, which begins and ends around sunset. Julius Rosenberg was discharged by the army in 1945 for having lied about his membership in the Communist Party. Dwight Eisenhower in 1953. There were protest marches held around the world at their sentence, including in Ireland. There was genuine fear that the Russians and Stalin would launch an atom bomb on America. Both were members of the Communist Party, with Julius being the far more active member. Some reports claim that the Rosenbergs were offered a plea deal, where admittance of their guilt would grant them a prison sentence. He was U.S. citizen and electrical engineer. They were married in 1939, by which time they were already active in the Communist Party. Follow Russia Beyond on Telegram. Harry Truman in 1952 and Pres. That same year, Sobell participated in an interview with theNew York Times. "[67] He said he gave false testimony to protect himself and his wife, Ruth, and that he was encouraged by the prosecution to do so. After being interviewed this second time, he said that he had given this information to Julius in the living room of the Rosenbergs' New York apartment. The West was shocked by the speed with which the Soviets were able to stage their first nuclear test, "Joe 1", on August 29, 1949. In 1861, the liberal Mexican Benito Juarez became president of a country in financial read more, In Music Fund Hall in Philadelphia, the first national convention of the Republican Party, founded two years before, comes to its conclusion. Initiated when the Soviet Union was an ally of the U.S., the program continued during the Cold War when it was considered an enemy. 2009 Vassiliev notebooks based on KGB archives. Tender. [8], Ethel Greenglass was born on September 28, 1915, to a Jewish family in Manhattan, New York City. During his bachelor party at a club on the night of June 19, Chin and three friends were read more, On June 15, 2006, on the remote island of Spitsbergen halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, the prime ministers of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland lay the ceremonial first stone of the Global Seed Vault. In early 1953, he wrote a letter to President Eisenhower, requesting that Ethel and Julius sentences be commuted to prison. They provided top-secret information about American radar, sonar, jet propulsion engines, and valuable nuclear weapon designs. [21][22] The U.S. government claimed Sobell was arrested by the Mexican police for bank robbery on August 16, 1950, and extradited the next day to the United States in Laredo, Texas. He left the Communist Party to avoid suspicions. Because of the Venona documents, they now believe that Julius was a Soviet spy. T he case of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, the young Jewish American couple executed in June 1953 at the height of the cold war for allegedly passing atomic secrets to the Russians, has weighed . The trial of the Rosenbergs became a political event of greater importance than any damage they may have done to the United States. The Rosenbergs were implicated by David Greenglass, Ethels younger brother and a former army sergeant and machinist at Los Alamos, the secret atomic bomb lab in New Mexico. The Rosenbergs supported communism Ethel Greenglass was born to a Jewish family in 1915 in New York. She had the unhappy distinction of being the first woman in the US to be executed for a crime other than murder. He does, however, believe that the prosecutors worked to guarantee a conviction and abused the legal system. Greenglass passed information to Julius, including information about the high explosive lenses being developed at Los Alamos for the implosion bomb. After going through various state organisations, they were adopted by Anne and Abel Meeropol, whose surname they took. The couple met as members of the Young Communist League, married in 1939 and had two sons. Ethel Rosenberg: A Cold War Tragedy by Anne Sebba was published by Orion Books on 24 June 2021.[24][82]. Meeropol, Michael, " 'A Spy Who Turned His Family In': Revisiting David Greenglass and the Rosenberg Case,", This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 07:05. It was the wrong advice to them to go on pleading the Fifth Amendment because it made it seem as if they were on trial for being communists, which at some subliminal level, of course they were. Since the Rosenbergs were being charged with conspiracy, no tangible evidence was required. Now, however, Greenglass claimed that this exchange occurred in the living room of the Rosenbergs New York apartment, and that Ethel was present. They were charged with conspiracy and providing atomic secrets to the USSR. And, in fact, the Rosenbergs themselves essentially believed that they had done nothing wrong in the grand scheme of things. "[57], The notes allegedly typed by Ethel apparently contained little that was directly used in the Soviet atomic bomb project. As a young attorney in 1951, Cohn pushed for the execution of Meeropol's grandparents Julius and Ethel Rosenberg on espionage charges. [11], In February 1944, Rosenberg succeeded in recruiting a second source of Manhattan Project information, engineer Russell McNutt, who worked on designs for the plants at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Sebba says the only lesson history offers is that there are no lessons to be learned. Ethel Greenglass and Julius Rosenberg were both born into immigrant Jewish families in New York City during World War I. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. But at the trial, she testified that Ethel Rosenberg typed up notes about the atomic bomb. His research relies heavily on newly released KGB files. The young couple were arrested in 1950 for . Some of the individuals who worked on the Manhattan Project were spies and provided valuable information on the design of the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. [18][19], On July 17, 1950, Julius Rosenberg was arrested on suspicion of espionage[20] based on David Greenglass's confession. He believed the execution of Ethel, a young mother, would reflect negatively on both the FBI and the Justice Department. 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