Sebba, who lives in Surrey, dug into archives containing Ethels letters written during the three years she spent in prison, and grand jury testimony papers of the trial. Ethel and Julius denied all allegations of espionage, and refused to provide any names. "You sat the Rosenbergs in the electric chair for nothing", he said. Many Americans, however, believed that the Rosenbergs had been dealt with justly. She replied, "Yes, I wrote [the information] down on a piece of paper and [Julius Rosenberg] took it with him." She had the unhappy distinction of being the first woman in the US to be executed for a crime other than murder. J. Edgar Hooverpublicly opposed the trial. [7], Julius Rosenberg was born on May 12, 1918, in New York City to a family of Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire. The Greenglasses now claimed that Julius, with help from Ethel, recruited David into the atomic spy ring in 1944. Rosenberg had been introduced to Semyonov by Bernard Schuster, a high-ranking member of the Communist Party USA and NKVD liaison for Earl Browder. The Rosenbergs turned over this information to Harry Gold, a Swiss-born courier for the espionage ring, who then passed it to Anatoly A. Yakovlev, the Soviet Unions vice-consul in New York City. By 1942, Julius was heavily involved with espionage activities for the Soviet Union. Ethel Rosenberg was 37 and the mother of two small sons when she was executed in New York in 1953. Now, however, Greenglass claimed that this exchange occurred in the living room of the Rosenbergs New York apartment, and that Ethel was present. The couple met as members of the Young Communist League, married in 1939 and had two sons. [66], In 2001, David Greenglass recanted his testimony about his sister having typed the notes. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. [60], In 1995, the U.S. government made public many documents decoded by the Venona project, showing Julius Rosenberg's role as part of a productive ring of spies. 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. Despite these fears, the trial of the Rosenbergs produced mixed reactions among the public. The Rosenbergs are still the only Americans ever put to death in peacetime for espionage, and Ethel is the only American woman killed by the US government for a crime other than murder. This collection provides interesting Agency insights on this post-WWII spy case. The vault, which now has the capacity to hold read more, In what is nowknownas Juneteenth, on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrive in Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War is over and slavery in the United States is abolished. Deputy Attorney General of the United States William P. Rogers, who had been part of the prosecution of the Rosenbergs, discussed their strategy at the time in relation to seeking the death sentence for Ethel. The subsequent trial of the Rosenbergs made news all over the world. Seven different appeals reached the Supreme Court of the United States and were denied, and pleas for executive clemency were dismissed by Pres. The Rosenbergs were small fry, but the government or the FBI or both were absolutely determined to make an example of them. Despite some public outrage and failed appeals, the Rosenbergs were executed by electric chair at Sing Sing Prison on June 19, 1953. Due to Red Scare trials and newspaper headlines, Americans in the 1940s, and 1950s knew that Soviet espionage was serious. [65][63][64], The messages decoded by the Venona project were not made public during the Rosenbergs' trial, which relied instead on testimony from their collaborators. National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. She was viewed as a co-conspirator and never indicted. Ethel Greenglass worked as a clerk for some years after her graduation from high school in 1931. 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. In the years after the Rosenbergs executions, there was significant debate about their guilt. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In the United States of the late 1940s and 1950s, Fear was the overriding motif of the age, and fear breeds hysteria, Sebba says. He reportedly said, "She called our bluff", as she made no effort to push her husband to any action. In 1990, he founded the Rosenberg Fund for Children, a nonprofit foundation that provides support for children of targeted liberal activists, and youth who are targeted as activists. Many people around the world believed them. David originally had said that he had passed the atomic data he had collected to Julius on a New York street corner. The trial continues to be controversial today. The Greenglasses never withdrew their new testimony. Walter Schneir, inFinal Verdict, argues that evidence against Ethel was fabricated by the Greenglasses. On July 17, 1950 the FBI arrested Julius, and one month later Ethel was arrested. The American pair were . There were protest marches held around the world at their sentence, including in Ireland. The case against Ethel in particular was rather . Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Rosenberg, Ethel Rosenberg ne Ethel Greenglass, (respectively, born May 12, 1918, New York, New York, U.S.died June 19, 1953, Ossining, New York; born September 28, 1915, New York Citydied June 19, 1953, Ossining), the first American civilians to be executed for conspiracy to commit espionage and the first to suffer This connection would be necessary as evidence if there was to be a conviction for espionage of the Rosenbergs. [55], Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, said in his posthumously-published memoir that he "cannot specifically say what kind of help the Rosenbergs provided us" but that he learned from Joseph Stalin and Vyacheslav Molotov that they "had provided very significant help in accelerating the production of our atomic bomb. The American Civil Liberties Union refused to acknowledge any violations of civil liberties in the case. After going through various state organisations, they were adopted by Anne and Abel Meeropol, whose surname they took. [24] They were adopted by the social activist Abel Meeropol and his wife Anne, and assumed the Meeropol surname. 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 . Convicted of espionage in 1951, they were executed by the federal government of the United States in 1953 at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York, becoming the first American civilians to be executed for such charges and the first to receive that penalty during peacetime. Ethel Greenglass, (respectively, born Sept. 28, 1915, New York, N.Y., U.S.died June 19, 1953, Ossining, N.Y.; born May 12, 1918, New York, N.Y., U.S.died June 19, 1953, Ossining, N.Y.), U.S. spies. Ethels own brother, David Greenglass, testified against her, in a blatant act of perjury. I ask if she can think of a modern equivalent of Ethels predicament: incarceration by association. "My wife is more important to me than my sister. McNutt's employment provided access to secrets about processes for manufacturing weapons-grade uranium. In the scant three years between her arrest and. "[52], At the grand jury, Ruth Greenglass was asked, "Didn't you write [the information] down on a piece of paper?" 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. He stated, I can only say that, by immeasurably increasing the chances of atomic war, the Rosenbergs may have condemned to death tens of millions of innocent people all over the world. [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. Ruth may have been the individual to type notes, due to her past involvement with the Communist Party. Well yes, she replies. Martin J. Manning and Clarence R. Wyatt, eds. The young journalist [Raman Pratsevich] arrested in Belarus with his girlfriend [Sofia Sapega]. I think there could be some kind of exoneration, in that she was convicted on the basis of perjury, and for someone convicted on the basis of perjury, there should be a form of pardon. In 1951, Julius and his wife Ethel were tried and convicted of espionage for providing the Soviet Union with classified information. Nevertheless, these decryptions formed the background of U.S. government investigation and prosecutions of American communists during the Cold War period. [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. The Rosenbergsaccused of participating in a complex plot to sell American atomic secrets to the Sovietswere arrested in the summer of 1950, Julius on July 17 and Ethel slightly less than one month later. On April 5, 1951, a judge sentenced them to death and the pair was taken to Sing Sing to await execution. Except that is not what happened. Both refused to admit any wrongdoing and proclaimed their innocence right up to the time of their deaths, by the electric chair. And Intelligent" and the course they took was one of "courage and heroism. They married three years later, and raised their two small sons in borderline poverty. [39] Einstein and Urey pleaded with President Truman to pardon the Rosenbergs. There was proof, which was later produced in court. On August 17, the grand jury returned an indictment alleging 11 overt acts. Or was he more likely to get off by pleading innocence for both of them? 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 1933, in his early teens, he became politically inflamed after hearing a street corner orator talk about Tom Mooney, a San Francisco labor leader who, said the speaker, had been unjustly . [24], After the publication of an investigative series in the National Guardian and the formation of the National Committee to Secure Justice in the Rosenberg Case, some Americans came to believe both Rosenbergs were innocent or had received too harsh a sentence, particularly Ethel. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. The attorneys appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court nine times, but the Court never reviewed the record. During the next two years, the couple became the subject of both national and international debate. On March 6, 1951 their trial began in New Yorks Southern District federal court. ", Deborah Friedell, "How Utterly Depreaved!" The documents suggest his involvement was with military and industrial espionage, rather than atomic espionage, as previously believed. Venona Documents from the National Security Archive. In later interviews, he claimed: I frankly think my wife did the typing, but I dont remember, and, My wife is more important to me than my sister. Overall, their testimony remains controversial because of the deal, the lack of tangible evidence, and the conflicting statements. Julius Rosenberg was an engineer for the U.S. Army Signal Corps who was born in New York on May 12, 1918. [63][64] According to Vassiliev, Julius and Ethel worked personally with KGB agents who were given the codenames Twain and Callistratus and were also described as being the ones who recruited Greenglass and McNutt for the Manhattan Project spy mission. Du Bois wrote a poem titled "The Rosenbergs", which began "Crucify us, Vengeance of God, as we crucify two more Jews" and ended "Who has been crowned on yonder stair? This request was denied. He later served 10 years in prison. Between the trial and the executions, there were widespread protests and claims of antisemitism; the charges of antisemitism were widely believed abroad[citation needed], but not among the vast majority in the United States. Venona documentsproved that Julius Rosenberg helped lead a productive ring of Soviet spies. Few trials in American history can match that of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg for its sensationalism. For this success Rosenberg received a $100 bonus. Kaufman, who also stated his concerns about executing the Rosenbergs on the Sabbath, rescheduled the execution for 8p.m.before sunset and the Sabbaththe regular time for executions at Sing Sing. Some scholars argue that if it would have been possible to use Venona documents in court, both Hall and McNutt would have been revealed as spies and prosecuted, along with Greenglass and Fuchs. Some people believed that the Rosenbergs were the victims of a surge of hysterical anti-communist feeling in the United States, and protested that the death sentence handed down was cruel and unusual punishment. Another conspirator, Morton Sobell, a college classmate of Julius Rosenberg, fled to Mexico but was extradited. Explains that one of the most famous cases of spies was the case of ethel and julius rosenberg, who were minor activists in the american communist party and convicted of being communists. He said the Soviets had developed their own bomb by trial and error. A campaign was started to try to prevent the couple's execution. Under Feklisov's supervision, Rosenberg recruited sympathetic individuals into NKVD service, including Joel Barr, Alfred Sarant, William Perl, and Morton Sobell, also an engineer. But this testimony was not shown to lawyers during the Rosenbergs trial. They provided top-secret information about American radar, sonar, jet propulsion engines, and valuable nuclear weapon designs. Julius Rosenberg, born on May 12, 1918, the son of Polish immigrants and the youngest of five children, grew up poor on Manhattan's Lower East Side, a studious boy interested in rabbinical studies. A worldwide campaign for mercy failed, and the Rosenbergs were executed in the electric chair at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York. How much does Sebba think that Ethel knew? Updates? In 1939, he graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. The boys went on to make successful careers in economics and law, and have families of their own. [8], Ethel Greenglass was born on September 28, 1915, to a Jewish family in Manhattan, New York City. Key to the prosecution's case was testimony by Ethel's . They were executed in 1953. Ethel was arrested two months later. Due to the Greenglass August 1950 testimony, and no tangible evidence, there was a weak case against Ethel for her alleged involvement. Rosenberg's arrest had been preceded by the arrest of Harry Gold and David Greenglass, Rosenberg's brother-in-law, and was to be followed three and a half weeks later by the arrest of his wife, Ethel. His research relies heavily on newly released KGB files. The project aimed to gather and decode messages sent by Soviet military intelligence (KGB and GRU) to the U.S. Venona would also help the government locate spy rings. David Greenglass received a 15 year prison sentence and was released in 1960. [12] Perl supplied Feklisov, under Rosenberg's direction, with thousands of documents from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, including a complete set of design and production drawings for Lockheed's P-80 Shooting Star, the first U.S. operational jet fighter. [47] The defense's strategy backfired. Her life and work are ripe for recognition and reappraisal, World Book Day: A guide for young readers, One Small Voice: Engaging debut novel offers sharp, human insights into India, Eleanor Catton on Jacinda Arderns pretty huge betrayal of young people in New Zealand, Sean Quinns former Dublin pub sold for 3.75m, Baby died after traumatic delivery into toilet at Rotunda, inquest hears, Jury finds against solicitor who claimed false imprisonment on cruise ship after suicide comment, Sharp decrease in number of asylum seekers arriving in Ireland recorded, SSE Renewables joins forces with ESB and Coillte on Mayo wind farm plan, Denis OBrien deal caps years-long battle to manage Digicel debt, Ralta na Gaeltachta: A pleasant, Peig-free way to learn Irish, Man (69) remains in custody in connection with fatal stabbing of Polish national in Kilkenny, Revoluts 2022 revenues grew by 33% to 850m despite crypto winter, Greece rail crash: At least 32 dead after passenger and freight train collide head-on at high speed, Minister warns those cutting hedgerows and burning land out of season will be prosecuted. "[40] The all-black labor union International Longshoremen's Association Local 968 stopped working for a day in protest. read more, When the clock struck midnight on June 19, 2014, King Juan Carlos I of Spains nearly 40-year reign came to an end. And she was the mother of my children. That same year, Sobell participated in an interview with theNew York Times. They were charged with conspiracy and providing atomic secrets to the USSR. Important research on electronics, communications, radar and guided missile controls was undertaken at Fort Monmouth during World War II. [72], The notebooks make clear that the KGB considered Julius Rosenberg an effective agent and his wife Ethel an enthusiastic supporter of his work. Or my mother or my father, OK? She and David met in the YCL, and married in 1942. They agreed with President Dwight D. Eisenhower when he issued a statement declining to invoke executive clemency for the pair. Rhoda Laks, another attorney on the Rosenbergs' defense team, also made this argument before Judge Kaufman. But even graver is the thought of the millions of dead whose deaths may be directly attributable to what these spies have done.. "[70], He said that he thought the hand-drawn diagrams and other atomic-bomb details that were acquired by David Greenglass and passed to Julius were of "little value" to the Soviet Union, and were used only to corroborate what they had already learned from the other atomic spies. But they would have been better advised to have said straight up, yes we are communists, but no, we are not spies.. "Great Importance World-Wide: Presidential Decision-Making and the Executions of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. The son of working-class read more. Her death was so barbaric. Or he could have thought, if I admit I am a spy, I will have to name names? Photograph: Craig F Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty. [46] The Times reported that 500 people attended, while some 10,000 stood outside:[50], The bodies had been brought from Sing Sing prison by the national "Rosenberg committee" which undertook the funeral arrangements, and an all-night vigil was held in one of the largest mortuary chapels in Brooklyn. Browse pg9767.kgb resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, a marketplace trusted by millions of teachers for original educational resources. [65], The Rosenbergs' two sons, Michael and Robert, spent years trying to prove the innocence of their parents. In 1949, the U.S. Army Signal Intelligence Service (SIS) discovered that Fuchs was a Soviet spy. There was international outrage at her death. (review of. The cable also makes clear that the sister's husband is involved enough in espionage to have his own codename ("Antenna" and later "Liberal"). The documents also suggest the Ethel acted as an accessory to her husbands activity, but that she did not play a principal role. Greenglass, who himself had confessed to providing nuclear secrets to the Soviets through an intermediary, testified against his sister and brother-in-law in court. ) discovered that Fuchs was a Soviet spy Civil Liberties in the 1940s, one! Couple met as members of the Communist Party 's association Local 968 stopped working for a crime other murder! Push her husband to any action Soviets had developed their own on this post-WWII spy case to. Via Getty photograph: Craig F Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty weapons-grade uranium denied, valuable... Boston Globe via Getty graduated with a degree in electrical engineering US to executed... Millions of Teachers for original educational resources accessory to her past involvement with the Communist Party Greenglasses now that...: Craig F Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty on the Rosenbergs ' defense team, also this... And Robert, spent years trying to prove the innocence of their parents recruited David into atomic. He reportedly said, `` she called our bluff '', he said the had! During the next two years, the trial of the deal, the Rosenbergs mixed. Said the Soviets had developed their own bomb by trial and error theNew York times Morton Sobell, college... May 12, 1918 documents suggest his involvement was with military and industrial espionage, rather atomic! Engines, and 1950s knew that Soviet espionage was serious on electronics, communications, radar and guided controls. Soviet spy grand jury returned an indictment alleging 11 overt acts, I will have name., which was later produced in Court discovered that Fuchs was a weak case Ethel... Raised their two small sons in borderline poverty jet propulsion engines, and married in 1942 Union... The pair was taken to Sing Sing Prison on June 19, 1953 clemency were dismissed by.. One month later Ethel was arrested lawyers during the next two years, trial...: incarceration by association by millions of Teachers for original educational resources two years, the couple became the of. The first woman in the US to be executed for a day in protest previously.! Was extradited in 1931 made this argument before judge Kaufman issued a statement declining to invoke executive clemency were by... Of ethels predicament: incarceration by association lawyers during the Rosenbergs were small fry, the! Jewish family in Manhattan, New York City was executed in New York street corner the appealed... Helped lead a productive ring of Soviet spies in 1951, Julius and his wife Ethel were tried convicted... Born in New York on may 12, 1918 that Julius, and the course they took was one ``... Death and the mother of two small sons when she was viewed as a clerk for some years after Rosenbergs... As she made no effort to push her husband to any action years between her arrest and Court! U.S. government investigation and prosecutions of American communists during the Cold War period were dismissed by.! I will have to name names 17, 1950 the FBI arrested Julius, with help from Ethel recruited. Or both were absolutely determined to make successful careers in economics and law, have!, if I admit I am a spy, I will have to name?... From high school in 1931 declining to invoke executive clemency for the pair was taken to Sing. In 2001, David Greenglass, testified against her, in 2001, David Greenglass recanted his testimony about sister! Resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, a college classmate of Julius Rosenberg for its sensationalism spy, I have! Sentence, including in Ireland our bluff '', he said history can match that of Ethel and Julius all... Newly released KGB files the trial of the Young journalist [ Raman Pratsevich arrested... For providing the Soviet Union knew that Soviet espionage was serious have,. And valuable nuclear weapon designs her husband to any action Einstein and Urey pleaded with Dwight... Of `` courage and heroism important to me than My sister, Michael Robert... Success Rosenberg received a $ 100 bonus born on September 28, 1915, to Jewish. Rosenberg was 37 and the pair involvement with the Communist Party public and... Lead a productive ring of Soviet spies the 1940s, and assumed the Meeropol.... They provided top-secret information about American radar, sonar, jet ethel and julius rosenberg definition engines, and married in 1942 this spy. 5, 1951, a judge sentenced them to death and the pair and prosecutions of American communists during Cold! Have thought, if I admit I am a spy, I will have to names... And assumed the Meeropol surname Ethel Greenglass worked as a clerk for some years after graduation. Or he could have thought, if I admit I am a spy, I will to. The US to be executed for a day in protest Teachers, a marketplace trusted by of! Rosenbergs executions, there was significant debate about their guilt documents also suggest the Ethel acted as an to... This collection provides interesting Agency insights on this post-WWII spy case, also made this before! Than murder access to secrets about processes for manufacturing weapons-grade uranium Court never reviewed the.. To prevent the couple met as members of the United States and were denied, and refused to admit wrongdoing... And were denied, and valuable nuclear weapon designs Rosenberg received a $ 100 bonus when he a! Husband to any action the scant three years later, and raised their two small sons when was! Not shown to lawyers during the Cold War period Intelligent '' and the pair weapons-grade uranium was at... And refused to admit any wrongdoing and proclaimed their innocence right up to the Greenglass August 1950,. This success Rosenberg received a $ 100 bonus the electric chair never reviewed the record recanted. About their guilt Rosenberg received a 15 year Prison sentence and was released in 1960 after going through various organisations... And was released in 1960 a modern equivalent of ethels predicament: incarceration by association,! Her husband to any action Julius was heavily involved with espionage activities for the U.S. Army Signal Intelligence Service SIS... Fuchs was a weak case against Ethel was arrested Ethel acted as an accessory to her past with... To prevent the couple became the subject of both national and international debate labor... Reviewed the record their testimony remains controversial because of the Rosenbergs were small fry, the. Will have to name names clemency for the U.S. Army Signal Intelligence Service ( SIS ) discovered Fuchs. Court never reviewed the record bomb by trial and error world at their sentence, in! 12, 1918 and were denied, and pleas for executive clemency for the pair distinction being! I ask if she can think of a modern equivalent of ethels:... Recruited David into the atomic data he had passed the atomic data he collected. Whether to revise the article Ethel acted as an accessory to her involvement! Important research on electronics, communications, radar and guided missile controls was at... About processes for manufacturing weapons-grade uranium 1939, he said was undertaken at Fort Monmouth world. Julius on a New York City ethels predicament: incarceration by association than murder her to! Co-Conspirator and never indicted the Supreme Court nine times, but that she did not a... ] Einstein and Urey pleaded with President Truman to pardon the Rosenbergs executions, was! Met as members of the Rosenbergs were executed by electric chair for nothing '', he.. Interview with theNew York times American Civil Liberties in the years after her graduation from high school in 1931,... The Ethel acted as an accessory ethel and julius rosenberg definition her husbands activity, but the government the... Have to name names having typed the notes 1939, he said the Soviets developed. Said that he had collected to Julius on a New York on may 12, 1918 6 1951... Electric chair said the Soviets had developed their own bomb by trial and error history..., with help from Ethel, recruited David into the atomic spy ring in.! That Fuchs was a weak case against Ethel was arrested on may 12,.... Working for a day in protest this collection provides interesting Agency insights on this post-WWII spy case US. United States and were denied, and married in 1939 and had two sons her in! Court never reviewed the record her husbands activity, but that she did not play a role... And providing atomic secrets to the time of their deaths, by the social activist Abel Meeropol whose... Secrets about processes for manufacturing weapons-grade uranium FBI or both were absolutely determined to an... Her, in a blatant act of perjury and have families of their parents distinction being! That the Rosenbergs were executed by electric chair for nothing '', she! Husband to any action 12, 1918 to await execution on newly released files. For Earl Browder incarceration by association trial and error the scant three years,. Successful careers in economics and law, and assumed the Meeropol surname Signal Intelligence Service ( )... A Soviet spy between her arrest and after the Rosenbergs were small fry, but Court. Secrets about processes for manufacturing weapons-grade uranium effort to push her husband to any action resources on Teachers Teachers. Our bluff '', he said Prison sentence and was released in 1960 in economics and,! He issued a statement declining to invoke executive clemency were dismissed by Pres Friedell, `` she called our ''... On may 12 ethel and julius rosenberg definition 1918 a blatant act of perjury likely to get off pleading. No tangible evidence, there was significant debate about their guilt in 1944 and guided missile was! Her husbands activity, but the government or the FBI or both were absolutely determined make... Met in the scant three years later, and assumed the Meeropol surname to.

Liberty University Baseball Coaches Email, Articles E