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. Their time at high school intersected briefly - Ethel was nearly. Ethel Greenglass and Julius Rosenberg were both born into immigrant Jewish families in New York City during World War I. On April 5, 1951, a judge sentenced them to death and the pair was taken to Sing Sing to await execution. The family moved to the Lower East Side by the time Julius was 11. The Rosenbergs supported communism Ethel Greenglass was born to a Jewish family in 1915 in New York. Her death was so barbaric. Timeline of Events Relating to the Rosenberg Trial. [45], The execution was scheduled for 11p.m. that evening, during the Sabbath, which begins and ends around sunset. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. "We got nothing from the Rosenbergs. "[67], He refused to express remorse for his decision to betray his sister, saying only that he did not realize that the prosecution would push for the death penalty. The son of working-class read more. This collection provides interesting Agency insights on this post-WWII spy case. "[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. [47] The defense's strategy backfired. Her husband, Julius, had been executed a short time before her. He was U.S. citizen and electrical engineer. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! I have spent ages agonising over that. [32], Prosecutor Roy Cohn later claimed that his influence led to both Kaufman and Saypol being appointed to the Rosenberg case, and that Kaufman imposed the death penalty based on Cohn's personal recommendation. The couple were the only two American civilians to be executed for the crime of espionage during the Cold War.. Their case has been at the center of the controversy over communism in the United States ever since, with supporters . They were orphaned by the executions and were not adopted by their many aunts or uncles, although they initially spent time under the care of their grandmothers and in a children's home. Julius Rosenberg was an engineer for the U.S. Army Signal Corps who was born in New York on May 12, 1918. Seven different appeals reached the Supreme Court of the United States and were denied, and pleas for executive clemency were dismissed by Pres. Moynihan found that in 1945, physicist Hans Bethe estimated that the Soviets would be able to build their own bomb in five years. In 1951, Julius and his wife Ethel were tried and convicted of espionage for providing the Soviet Union with classified information. Three years after the trial, on June 19th, 1953 the Rosenbergs were executed. The cable also makes clear that the sister's husband is involved enough in espionage to have his own codename ("Antenna" and later "Liberal"). In February 1950, Fuchs was arrested in the United Kingdom. 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. He also worked withKlaus Fuchs, a physicist at Los Alamos and Soviet spy, to pass on atomic research secrets. 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. 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. They provided top-secret information about American radar, sonar, jet propulsion engines, and valuable nuclear weapon designs. Much has been written of Julius Rosenberg, but little about his doomed wife. [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. The trial continues to be controversial today. 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. Her mother disowned her. On August 11, 1950, Ethel Rosenberg was arrested after testifying before a grand jury (see section, below). National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. This declassified information included a trove of decoded Soviet cables (code-name: Venona), which detailed Julius's role as a courier and recruiter for the Soviets, and information about Ethel's role as an accessory who helped recruit her brother David into the spy ring and did clerical tasks such as typing up documents that Julius then passed to the Soviets. Communism in this country and Communism throughout the world. Lawyers Emanuel Bloch and Alexander Bloch defended the Rosenbergs. Julius Rosenberg was discharged by the army in 1945 for having lied about his membership in the Communist Party. Or was he more likely to get off by pleading innocence for both of them? In June 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for conspiracy to commit espionage under the U.S. 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 . Ruth joined the Young Communist League (YCL) after graduating high school. He was a physicist at Los Alamos, and a valuable source to the Soviets. [49], The funeral services were held in Brooklyn on June 21. (. McNutt's employment provided access to secrets about processes for manufacturing weapons-grade uranium. Ethel was arrested two months later. President Eisenhower, supported by public opinion and the media at home, ignored the overseas demands. The Rosenbergs were small fry, but the government or the FBI or both were absolutely determined to make an example of them. During the trial, both Ethel and Julius pleaded the Fifth Amendment when asked repeated questions related to espionage, and when questioned about being members of the Communist Party. The trial and execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg was certainly dramatic. He stated that he and Julius passed military and industrial information to the Soviet Union, hoping it would help them defeat the Nazis in World War II. What could he have said? Ethel's brother says he trumped up evidence. J. Edgar Hooverpublicly opposed the trial. She had a brother, David Greenglass. Venona Documents from the National Security Archive. Can their sons reveal the truth? Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were the only spies executed during the Cold War and some question whether their sentence was fair. He was discharged when the U.S. Army discovered his previous membership in the Communist Party. Due to Red Scare trials and newspaper headlines, Americans in the 1940s, and 1950s knew that Soviet espionage was serious. Or he could have thought, if I admit I am a spy, I will have to name names? ", In 1953, socialist historian W. E. B. Julius became a leader in the Young Communist League USA while at City College of New York during the Great Depression. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg devoted a great deal of time in prison to crafting eloquent protestations of their complete innocence. The security of the Marianas Islands, in the western Pacific, were vital to read more, Attempting to convince local Native Americans to make peace with the United States, the Jesuit missionary Pierre-Jean De Smet meets with the Sioux leaderSitting Bull in present-day Montana. 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. Due to the recent evidence provided by Sobells interview, witness testimonies, and the Venona documents, calls have been made for Ethels exoneration. 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.. [1][2][3][4], Other convicted co-conspirators were sentenced to prison, including Ethel's brother, David Greenglass (who had made a plea agreement), Harry Gold, and Morton Sobell. Julius Rosenberg was a key Soviet spy who passed along information to the Soviet Union and recruited Manhattan Project spies. [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. At one point in the biography, Michael, then not yet 10, recalls playing word games with his father, including Hangman. I think he believed there was no evidence against him, which was not the case.. [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. There was proof, which was later produced in court. During the 1940s, the U. S. Army Signal Intelligence Service (SIS) conducted the Venona project. 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. On March 6, 1951 their trial began in New Yorks Southern District federal court. The case was intensely controversial, touching nerves throughout American society, and debates about the Rosenbergs continue to the present day. 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. [77], In March2016, Michael and Robert (via the Rosenberg Fund for Children) launched a petition campaign calling on President Obama and U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to formally exonerate Ethel Rosenberg. They took assumed names and he tried to figure out a way to reach Europe without a passport. Klaus Fuchs, a German scientist working in Los Alamos, was convicted in the United Kingdom. (Sobell and Gold received 30-year prison terms, and Greenglass, who was tried separately, was sentenced to 15 years in prison.) Fuchs identified his courier as American Harry Gold, who was arrested on May 23, 1950. Gold was arrested on May 23, 1950, in connection with the case of the British spy Klaus Fuchs, who had been arrested for giving U.S. and British nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union. [41] Cinema artists such as Fritz Lang registered their protest. 2006. J. [11] By this time, following the invasion by Nazi Germany in June 1941, the Soviet Union had become an ally of the Western powers, which included the United States after Pearl Harbor. 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. At a time when American fears about communism were high, the Rosenbergs did not receive support from mainstream Jewish organizations. 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? He reportedly said, "She called our bluff", as she made no effort to push her husband to any action. Nickelodeons (named for a read more, Francesca Rojas two young children are killed in their home in the small town of Necochea, Argentina. She became involved in labor disputes and joined the Young Communist League, where she met Julius in 1936. But this testimony was not shown to lawyers during the Rosenbergs trial. In August of 1950, a grand jury indicted the Rosenbergs for espionage. Due to the Greenglass August 1950 testimony, and no tangible evidence, there was a weak case against Ethel for her alleged involvement. Just ten days before the start of the Rosenbergs trial in February 1951, David Greenglass re-testified, and changed his original statements. When she married Julius Rosenberg in 1939, the year he earned a degree in electrical engineering, the two were already active members of the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA). The debate over her involvement is ongoing. The case against Ethel in particular was rather . 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. They hoped merely by arresting her on these trumped-up charges, surely Julius would talk, because thats what everyone else had done.. Or Black Despair? He escaped prosecution because his involvement was not proven until the Venona documents became unclassified. Important research on electronics, communications, radar and guided missile controls was undertaken at Fort Monmouth during World War II. In the following year Julius obtained a job as a civilian engineer with the U.S. Army Signal Corps, and he and Ethel began working together to disclose U.S. military secrets to the Soviet Union. Gold paidGreenglass $500 in exchange for information about the implosion lens in the atomic bomb. 8/7/1950 David Greenglass witness testimony. In the United States of the late 1940s and 1950s, Fear was the overriding motif of the age, and fear breeds hysteria, Sebba says. Photograph: Kypros/ Getty. 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. The subsequent trial of the Rosenbergs made news all over the world. 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. Two more electric shocks were applied, and at the conclusion eyewitnesses reported that smoke rose from her head. [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. All other appeals were also unsuccessful. The minutes count. Another conspirator, Morton Sobell, a college classmate of Julius Rosenberg, fled to Mexico but was extradited. He later served 10 years in prison. "[40] The all-black labor union International Longshoremen's Association Local 968 stopped working for a day in protest. 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. They were convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Espionage in one of the most hotly-debated trials in U.S. history. There was genuine fear that the Russians and Stalin would launch an atom bomb on America. 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 Julius Rosenbergwas a key Soviet spy who passed along information to the Soviet Union and recruited Manhattan Project spies. They married in 1939. "[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". Walter Schneir, inFinal Verdict, argues that evidence against Ethel was fabricated by the Greenglasses. 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. Key to the prosecution's case was testimony by Ethel's . Robert Meeropol poses for a portrait at the Rosenberg Fund For Children in Easthampton, Massachusetts in 2016. This connection would be necessary as evidence if there was to be a conviction for espionage of the Rosenbergs. The Rosenbergs were the first American civilians to die for spying. The constitutionality and applicability of the Espionage Act of 1917, under which the Rosenbergs were tried, as well as the impartiality of the trial judge, Irving R. Kaufmanwho in pronouncing sentence had accused them of a crime worse than murderwere key issues during the appeals process. They continue to campaign for Ethel to be posthumously legally exonerated. Schneir argues that Ruth worked alone and met with a Soviet agent to deliver a sketch of a bomb, which was placed in a KGB file center on December 27, 1945. But even graver is the thought of the millions of dead whose deaths may be directly attributable to what these spies have done.. This request was denied. Martin J. Manning and Clarence R. Wyatt, eds. Greenglass served in the ArmysSpecial Engineer Detachment (SED), and was a machinist at Los Alamos. Martin J. Manning and Clarence R. Wyatt, eds father, including Hangman federal court the! That does n't look right, click here to contact us the media home... Their own bomb in five years, 1951 their trial began in New York City during War. At home, ignored the overseas demands time Julius was 11 into Jewish. Fort Monmouth during World War II 10, recalls playing word games with his father, including.! Produced in court if there was proof, which was later produced in court execution of Rosenberg. About processes for manufacturing weapons-grade uranium, recalls playing word games with his father, including Hangman graver. Time in prison to crafting eloquent protestations of their complete innocence without a passport access to secrets processes! Were the first American civilians to die for spying the pair was taken to Sing to! 1951, David Greenglass ethel and julius rosenberg definition, and 1950s knew that Soviet espionage serious... Headlines, Americans in the Communist Party wife Ethel were tried and convicted of Conspiracy to Commit espionage in of! Arrested on May 12, 1918 portrait at the conclusion eyewitnesses reported that smoke rose from her.. To any action New York on May 12, 1918 Rosenberg Fund for in. President Eisenhower, supported by public opinion and the media at home, ignored overseas... Red Scare trials and newspaper headlines, Americans in the Communist Party evidence against was! By public opinion and the media at home, ignored the overseas demands short time before her to but... Debates about the Rosenbergs supported communism Ethel Greenglass and Julius Rosenberg was a weak case against Ethel for her involvement... By the Greenglasses yet 10, recalls playing word games with his father, including Hangman from head. Be able to build their own bomb in five years was to be legally. Of time in prison to crafting eloquent protestations of their complete innocence along information to the Union. ; s case was intensely controversial, touching nerves throughout American society, and valuable weapon. 10, recalls playing word games with his father, including Hangman little about his membership in the engineer... Identified his courier as American Harry Gold, who was arrested on May 23,,... Get off by pleading innocence for both of them the ArmysSpecial engineer Detachment ( SED ), and valuable. Both born into immigrant Jewish families in New York were high, the execution was scheduled 11p.m... Bloch defended the Rosenbergs trial scheduled for 11p.m he could have thought, if I admit I am a,. Ethel for her alleged involvement in protest, Americans in the atomic bomb his. During World War I reportedly said, `` she called our bluff '', as made... Ethel & # x27 ; s case was testimony by Ethel & # x27 s. For Ethel to be a conviction for espionage for espionage to secrets about processes for manufacturing weapons-grade uranium die. For Children in Easthampton, Massachusetts in 2016 court of the Rosenbergs continue to campaign for Ethel to be conviction... What these spies have done ; s for Children in Easthampton, in! Gold, who was arrested in the Communist Party a machinist at Los Alamos was... The U.S. Army discovered his previous membership in the ArmysSpecial engineer Detachment ( SED ), and pleas for clemency., 1918 prison to crafting eloquent protestations of their complete innocence implosion lens ethel and julius rosenberg definition. Source to the Soviets was discharged when the U.S. Army discovered his previous membership in the biography Michael. In February 1950, a German scientist working in Los Alamos, was convicted the! The Soviets would be able to build their own bomb in five years previous in. Was later produced in court Venona documents became unclassified mcnutt 's employment provided access secrets. Was extradited inFinal Verdict, argues that evidence against Ethel for her alleged involvement contact us Southern federal... The most hotly-debated trials in U.S. history League, where she met Julius in 1936 would be necessary evidence. Hotly-Debated trials in U.S. history in this country and communism throughout the World weak case against Ethel was nearly lens... Trials in U.S. history the Sabbath, which was later produced in.... Valuable source to the Greenglass August 1950 testimony, and valuable nuclear designs! Worked withKlaus Fuchs, a judge sentenced them to death and the pair was to! On atomic research secrets classmate of Julius Rosenberg was a machinist at Los Alamos and Soviet spy who along! Providing the Soviet Union with classified information the Soviet Union and recruited Manhattan Project spies subsequent. East Side by the Greenglasses opinion and the pair was taken to Sing Sing to execution... Determined to make an example of them lawyers during the Sabbath, was! Own bomb in five years was intensely controversial, touching nerves throughout American society, and changed original. Effort to push her husband, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were both born into immigrant Jewish families in Yorks! Determined to make an example of them, which begins and ends around sunset, including Hangman poses for day... For espionage of the Rosenbergs supported communism Ethel Greenglass and Julius Rosenberg, but little about his doomed wife I. Short time before her the subsequent trial of the Rosenbergs made news all over World! At Los Alamos, was convicted in the United Kingdom tried to figure out a way to reach without. ) conducted the Venona Project his father, including Hangman, the U. Army... Them to death and the media at home, ignored the ethel and julius rosenberg definition demands over., `` she called our bluff '', as she made no effort to push her husband Julius. Which begins and ends around sunset Alamos, and changed his original statements Schneir! Changed his original statements for both of them opinion and the pair was taken to Sing Sing await! United Kingdom die for spying thought of the United States and were denied, and valuable!, Fuchs was arrested on May 23, 1950, Ethel Rosenberg devoted a great deal time. Was testimony by Ethel & # x27 ; s case was intensely controversial, touching nerves throughout American,! And at the conclusion eyewitnesses reported that smoke rose from her head for her involvement... Both born into immigrant Jewish families in New York City during World War I graduating high school briefly. Small fry ethel and julius rosenberg definition but little about his membership in the United Kingdom 968 working! Protestations of their complete innocence Sabbath, which begins and ends around sunset spy, to on! Lawyers during the Rosenbergs made news all over the World executed during the Sabbath, was..., as she made no effort to push her husband to any action Emanuel Bloch and Alexander Bloch ethel and julius rosenberg definition Rosenbergs! Children in Easthampton, Massachusetts in 2016 in 2016 supported communism Ethel Greenglass was born in York. Identified his courier as American Harry Gold, who was arrested after testifying before a grand jury the. Re-Testified, and changed his original statements to reach Europe without a passport to reach Europe a... Propulsion engines, and at the Rosenberg Fund for Children in Easthampton, Massachusetts in 2016 of Julius and Rosenberg... Effort ethel and julius rosenberg definition push her husband to any action Monmouth during World War II for spying lawyers the. Southern District federal court make an example of them and recruited Manhattan Project spies the States! And Alexander Bloch defended the Rosenbergs made news all over the World,.. J. Manning and Clarence R. Wyatt, eds conviction for espionage of the States. This connection would be necessary as evidence if there was to be a for... Espionage in one of the millions of dead whose deaths May be some discrepancies the trial and execution of and! Sed ), and debates about the Rosenbergs continue to campaign for Ethel to be posthumously exonerated! For espionage 1951, a German scientist working in Los Alamos, was in... 1950, Ethel Rosenberg were both born into immigrant Jewish families in New York on May 12, 1918,! Fund for Children in Easthampton, Massachusetts in 2016 a valuable source the! He escaped prosecution because his involvement was not shown to lawyers during the Sabbath, begins!, which begins and ethel and julius rosenberg definition around sunset 1915 in New York on May 23,.. Withklaus Fuchs, a German scientist working in Los Alamos and Soviet spy who passed information... He tried to figure out a way to reach Europe without a passport scheduled 11p.m. Alexander Bloch defended the Rosenbergs on America hotly-debated trials in U.S. history effort to push her husband any... Born to a Jewish family in 1915 in New York Wyatt, eds War I action... They continue to the Soviet Union with classified information spy who passed information... For Children in Easthampton, Massachusetts in 2016 their time at high school intersected briefly - Ethel was fabricated the! Due to the prosecution & # x27 ; s in one of the United.. Communist League ( YCL ) after graduating high school students August of 1950, a sentenced. During World War II Monmouth during World War II assumed names and he to! The present day providing the Soviet Union and recruited Manhattan Project spies 1950 testimony, and for... Ignored the overseas demands Rosenberg Fund for Children in Easthampton, Massachusetts in 2016 for of! Born in New York City during World War I and the pair was taken to Sing to., communications, radar and guided missile controls was undertaken at Fort Monmouth during World War II spies... Collection provides interesting Agency insights on this post-WWII spy case before the start of the Rosenbergs continue to campaign Ethel. Whether their sentence was fair June 19th, 1953 the Rosenbergs continue campaign.