Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Rosenberg (née Greenglass) were American citizens who were convicted of spying on behalf of the Soviet Union. The couple were accused of providing top-secret information about radar , sonar , jet propulsion engines and valuable nuclear weapon designs (at that time the United States was the only country in the world with nuclear weapons).
Full Answer
What is the story of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg?
The story of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage in 1951, reads like something out of a John le Carré novel with its components of shadowy spies, corrupted trial proceedings and family betrayal.
Why were Julius and Ethel Rosenberg executed?
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg: Their Case, Trial and Death. The New York City couple were executed for conspiracy to commit espionage in 1953, sparking decades of conspiracy talk that produced new twists in the 21st century. The New York City couple were executed for conspiracy to commit espionage in 1953, sparking decades ...
Who were Ethel Greenglass and Julius Rosenberg?
Ethel Greenglass and Julius Rosenberg were both born into immigrant Jewish families in New York City during World War I. Their time at high school intersected briefly – Ethel was nearly three years older – but they became acquainted through their devotion to the Young Communist League and were married in 1939.
Who was the first person to drop a shoe in the case?
The first shoe to drop in the case came with the arrest of German-born British physicist Klaus Fuchs on February 2, 1950. Fuchs had also worked at Los Alamos and passed along information to the Soviets independently of the Rosenbergs, though they shared a crucial link with their courier, Harry Gold.
Who are the Rosenbergs' sons?
The various revelations have prompted the Rosenbergs' surviving sons, Michael and Robert Meeropol, to launch an effort to have their mother formally exonerated. They were unable to win over President Obama, but there may be more chapters to come in this long-running Cold War saga.
Who was sentenced to death for atomic bombs?
On March 29, 1951, the jury returned a verdict of guilty against the trio charged. Judge Kaufman imposed the death penalty on Julius and Ethel, telling them, "I consider your crimes worse than murder." He spared the life of Sobell, who was not involved in the passage of atomic secrets and sentenced him to 30 years in prison.
Who was Julius Rosenberg's wife?
Three years later, in 1939, Julius Rosenberg had a degree in electrical engineering and Ethel Rosenberg as a wife. After having two sons together, Julius Rosenberg began his engineering career — inside some highly sensitive government sites at the height of World War II-era secrecy.
Where did Julius Rosenberg go to school?
While they toiled at the local shops to make a living, Rosenberg attended Seward Park High and then City College of New York where he studied electrical engineering.
Who was Ethel Greenglass married to?
Instead, she became a secretary for a Manhattan shipping company. Then, she joined the Young Communist League where she met her soon-to-be husband Julius Rosenberg in 1936.
What did Ethel Greenglass do?
25, 1915, Ethel Greenglass initially aspired to become an actress. Instead, she became a secretary for a Manhattan shipping company. Then, she joined the Young Communist League where she met her soon-to-be husband Julius Rosenberg in 1936.
Why did Julius Rosenberg leave the Communist Party?
According to the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History’s Atomic Heritage Foundation, Julius Rosenberg left the Communist Party in 1940 in order to avoid suspicion when he joined the Army Signal Corps Engineering Laboratories in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey.
Who was the judge in the Rosenberg trial?
The trial began in New York’s Southern District federal court on March 6, 1951. Presiding over the one-month proceedings was Judge Irving R. Kaufman, who opened the trial by saying, “The evidence will show that the loyalty and alliance of the Rosenbergs and Sobell were not to our country, but that it was communism.
Who gave Julius Rosenberg the atomic bomb?
Wikimedia Commons The atomic bomb sketch David Greenglass allegedly gave Julius Rosenberg in full view of his sister, Ethel. Ruth Greenglass testified that “Julius then took the info into the bathroom and read it and when he came out he called Ethel and told her she had to type this info immediately.
Espionage Activities
Julius had opened a mechanic shop with his brother-in-law, but the business soon began to fail, largely due to a lack of attention from Julius, who had begun to spy for the Soviets. He began by stealing manuals for radar tubes and proximity fuses, and by the late 1940s had two apartments set up as microfilm laboratories.
Defense Incompetence
From the beginning the defense had problems. Bloch tried to downplay the importance of the information the prosecution claimed the Rosenbergs had stolen, and then turned around and requested that all spectators and reporters be barred from the courtroom when the information was discussed.
International Protests
After months in prison, the Rosenbergs still maintained their innocence and began to write poignant letters, which were widely published, protesting their treatment. The case was followed closely in Europe, where many felt the Rosenbergs were being persecuted as Jewish (though Judge Kaufman was also Jewish).
Further Reading
Hanseman, Robert G., " Julius Rosenberg ," in The Cold War:1945-1991, Vol. 1, edited by Benjamin Frankel, Gale Research, Detroit, Michigan, 1992, pp. 427-428
Who was Julius Rosenberg's wife?
ico_comments_squared. ico_print. Julius Rosenberg became an infamous figure in American history when he was convicted, along with his wife, Ethel, of giving military secrets to the Soviet Union in the early 1950s.
What did Rosenberg study?
After graduating from high school in 1934, Rosenberg went to City College to study electrical engineering.
Who was Rosenberg married to?
In 1939, Rosenberg married Ethel Greenglass. The couple shared an interest in the Communist Party. During World War II, Rosenberg went to work for the U.S. Signal Corps. He was dismissed in 1945, after his past affiliation with the Communist Party was discovered.
Who was Rosenberg's brother in law?
During World War II, Rosenberg began to work as an agent for the Soviet Union. He reportedly convinced his brother-in-law, David Greenglass, to gather information for the Soviets. Greenglass, a member of the U.S. Army, was stationed at a base in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and was assigned to work on the Manhattan Project, which focused on the development of the atomic bomb.
Who are the Rosenberg children?
He also provided more details on Julius Rosenberg's activities. This latest revelation convinced the Rosenbergs' children, now known as Michael and Robert Meeropol, that their father had been a spy, but they remain convinced that their mother was only guilty by association.
When did the Rosenbergs get executed?
The Rosenbergs were convicted the following year, and were executed on June 19, 1953.
What was the proximity fuse used for?
The proximity fuse was used in a weapon that shot down a U-2 spy plane in 1960. Francis Gary Powers, the plane's pilot, was captured by the Soviets. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Photo: Universal History Archive/Getty Images.
Why did Julius and Ethel Rosenberg get executed?
In one of the most controversial capital punishment trials of the 20th century, a man and his wife were charged, tried, convicted, and executed, for the crime of “conspiracy to commit espionage against the United States,” at a time when the Cold War was just heating up. The avowed Communist Party couple also were accused ...
Who recruited Julius Rosenberg?
The KGB In 1943, as World War II was being waged on numerous fronts, Semyon Semenov, a high-ranking officer of the KGB, recruited Julius Rosenberg, through his ties with the Communist Party USA, to provide classified information to the Soviets.
What was the Rosenberg case?
Although their co-defendants in the trial received sentences of 15 to 30 years in prison, the Rosenbergs became the first U.S. civilians to be executed for espionage. Unsurprisingly, media frenzy during the event heated public emotions to a white-hot intensity. While of America learned about the case through newspapers, a large audience followed it on radio and, to a lesser degree, on television.
Who played Ethel Rosenberg in Angels in America?
The play, Angels in America (1992), starring Meryl Streep, portrays Ethel Rosenberg in a new light. Another play, The Rubenstein Kiss (2005), was inspired by the couple. Even Alexander Feklisov had his say in The Man behind the Rosenbergs (2001).
What is Beyond the Grave about?
Beyond the grave The Rosenberg case refuses to go away. Their sons, orphaned at 10 and six, co-wrote a book, We Are Your Sons: The Legacy of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg (1975), about their experiences as orphans. Not one family member was willing to take them in, owing to fears of being fired by employers, or worse.
Why were Julius and Ethel Rosenberg executed?
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who were executed after having been found guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage. The charges were in relation to the passing of information about the American atomic bomb to the Soviet Union.
Was Julius Rosenberg a communist?
By most accounts, Julius Rosenberg was an enthusiastic Communist. His job at the Army Signal Corps Engineering Laboratories made him an enticing recruit for Soviet spies, who approached him on Labor Day, 1942.
Why was Ethel arrested?
Ethel was later arrested while leaving a federal courthouse in New York City after testifying she had no knowledge of espionage efforts. The FBI hoped her arrest would force Julius to name names of other Communist sympathizers.
How long did Julius and Ethel go to jail?
Sentencing guidelines gave the judge two choices for Julius and Ethel: 30 years imprisonment or execution. FBI director J. Edgar Hoover suggested a 30-year sentence for Ethel, believing she would eventually name names in jail.
Where did Greenglass work?
Greenglass worked on the Manhattan Project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. After the ring was uncovered, Greenglass was arrested on June 15, 1950. He named his wife as a co-conspirator, along with Julius. Greenglass originally denied his sister Ethel was involved, but later changed his story.
Who was the judge for the Rosenbergs?
But Judge Irving Kaufman chose death for both Rosenbergs. David Greenglass got a 15-year sentence, serving just over nine years. The Rosenbergs were executed by electric on June 19, 1953, at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York.
Where were the Rosenbergs executed?
The Rosenbergs were executed by electric on June 19, 1953, at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg children, Michael, 10, and Robert, 6, reading the news about their parents in home of friends in Toms River, New Jersey.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Before The War
The Spy Ring Encircling The Atomic Bomb
- According to the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History’s Atomic Heritage Foundation, Julius Rosenberg left the Communist Party in 1940 in order to avoid suspicion when he joined the Army Signal Corps Engineering Laboratories in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. He did succeed in evading suspicion for five whole years as an engineer and inspector there while researching co…
The Red Scare
- At this time, espionage was of the highest concern to the U.S. government, which lived in fear that the Soviets might steal any sensitive information that could give them an edge in this Cold War which could turn hot at any moment. After World War II ended, the Soviets raced frantically to develop atomic weaponry and succeeded on Aug. 29, 1949, when they detonated their first bom…
The Trial and Execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
- After Klaus Fuchs was arrested and charged with violating the Official Secrets Act, he gave up information that implicated Gold and Greenglass, who then named Julius Rosenberg. He was arrested on July 17, 1950 and his wife’s arrest followed after new evidence was gathered a month later. Because the United States was not at war with the U.S.S.R. at this time, the Rosenbergs co…
The Legacy of The Rosenberg Case
- Both before and after it happened, the execution was highly controversial. At the time of their trial, even J. Edgar Hoover opposed the execution of Ethel Rosenberg, believing it would reflect badly on the FBI. Most U.S. newspapers believed it was fair punishment, while European publications and citizens generally did not. Regardless of the sentence’s fairness, the question of their guilt re…