The first civilians in the history of the United States to be executed as spies, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were accused of passing secrets about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union in the 1950s. Julius obtained the documents from his brother-in-law, David Greenglass, who supplied the documents from Los Alamos and cleared Ethel’s involvement. They were put to death by electric chair in Sing Sing Prison in 1953.
Julius Rosenberg
Julius Rosenberg became an infamous figure in American history when he was convicted, along with his wife, Ethel Rosenberg, of giving military secrets to the Soviet Union in the early 1950s.
Synopsis
Born in New York City in 1918, Julius Rosenberg became interested in politics at an early age, joining the Young Communist League while in his teens. Rosenberg attended City College, where he earned a degree in electrical engineering. During World War II, he worked for the U.S. Signal Corps. It was also around this time that he began working as a spy for the Soviet Union. In 1950, he was arrested along with his wife, Ethel Rosenberg, on conspiracy to commit espionage charges. The Rosenbergs were convicted the following year, and were executed on June 19, 1953.
Early Life
Born on May 12, 1918, in New York City, Julius Rosenberg is best known for being convicted of, and later put to death for, passing secrets to the Soviet Union in the 1950s. The son of Russian immigrants, Rosenberg attended Seward Park High School-the same school that his future wife, Ethel, would attend. According to some reports, Rosenberg originally considered becoming a rabbi. He apparently became more interested in radical politics than religion. However, he eventually joined the Young Communist League.
After graduating from high school in 1934, Rosenberg went to City College to study electrical engineering. There, he met Morton Sobell, who would later become involved with Rosenberg in spying for the Soviets.
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.
Atomic Spy Case
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.
In addition to his work with Greenglass, Rosenberg also procured information on how to make an important weapon part called a proximity fuse. He gave this information to his Soviet handler Alexander Feklisov in late 1944. The proximity fuse was used in a weapon that shot down a U-2 spy plane in 1960. Francis Gary Powers, the pilot of the plane, was captured by the Soviets.
Trial and Execution
After the Soviets had detonated their first atomic bomb in 1949, the U.S. government began an extensive hunt to find out who had provided them with the knowledge to make such a weapon. The U.S. Army’s Signal Intelligence Service broke the code used by the Soviets to send messages in the mid-1940s. Some of these decrypted messages revealed that Julius Rosenberg, known by the codename “Liberal,” was involved with the Soviets.
It was David Greenglass, however, who was the first to be caught in this spying case. He then told authorities about Julius Rosenberg’s activities. According to some reports, David Greenglass had initially failed to mention his sister’s involvement in espionage, later stating that she had participated as well. Julius Rosenberg was arrested on July 17, 1950, and his wife was taken into custody a few weeks later.
The Rosenbergs were brought to trial the following March, and both proclaimed their innocence. By this time, the U.S. military was engaged in the Korean War, and strong anti-communist sentiments were held nationwide. Both Julius and Ethel were convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage, and in early April 1951, the couple was sentenced to death. A series of appeals delayed their execution for more than two years. The couple’s supporters also requested clemency for the Rosenbergs from presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower, who both denied to issue a pardon.
On the night of June 19, 1953, Julius Rosenberg was executed at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York. Minutes later, his wife died in the same electric chair. The couple left behind two young sons, Michael and Robert.
Continuing Debate
Even after his execution, Julius Rosenberg remained a subject of much speculation. Many, including their two sons, believed both Julius and Ethel were innocent for years. In the mid-1990s, the Venona messages were released to the public, showing that Julius had some involvement with the Soviets. Not long after, Rosenberg’s Soviet spy contact, Alexander Feklisov, acknowledged that he had worked with Julius during the 1940s.
In 2008, Rosenberg’s college friend, Morton Sobell, publicly admitted that he had been a spy for the Soviet Union. 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.
Ethel Rosenberg
Ethel Rosenberg and husband Julius Rosenberg were convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage in 1951. They were both executed by the U.S. government in 1953.
Synopsis
Born in 1915 in New York City, Ethel Rosenberg went to Seward High School. After finishing school in 1931, she went to work for the National New York Packing and Shipping Company. Rosenberg became involved in a workers’ union there and soon became a supporter of the Communist Party. In 1939, she married Julius Rosenberg. The couple had two sons, Michael and Robert. In the 1940s, her husband acted as an agent for the Soviet Union. Shortly after his arrest in 1950, Ethel was brought into custody as a co-conspirator in a plot to give the U.S. military secrets to the Soviets. She and her husband were convicted in 1951 and executed in 1953.
Early Life
Born on September 28, 1915, in New York City, Ethel Rosenberg grew up on the city’s Lower East Side. She was the oldest child of Barney and Tessie Greenglass. Her father, an immigrant from Russia, also had a son from an earlier marriage. The family, all crowded together in a tenement apartment, later grew to include two brothers, Bernard and David.
Rosenberg attended Seward Park High School where she had an interest in acting. She appeared in such school productions before graduating in 1931. Rosenberg soon found a job with the National New York Packing and Shipping Company. Through her job, she became involved in social and political causes. It was at a union event that she met Julius Rosenberg. The two began dating, and they each developed a strong interest in the Community Party.
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg married in 1939. The couple eventually had two children together, son Michael was born in 1943, and son Robert was born in 1947.
Atomic Secrets Spy Case
Ethel Rosenberg’s role in one of the most infamous U.S. cases of espionage has remained unclear. Her husband, Julius, reportedly recruited her younger brother, David Greenglass, to give information to the Soviets. While serving in the U.S. Army, Greenglass had been assigned to work on the famed Manhattan Project, which led to the creation of the atomic bomb, and he delivered notes and sketches of classified materials to Julius Rosenberg. According to Greenglass, Ethel took the notes and typed them up for the Soviets. This accusation seems to be the only direct evidence of Ethel’s involvement in her husband’s spying activities.
In 1950, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were charged with conspiracy to commit espionage along with David Greenglass and Rosenberg’s friend, Morton Sobell. Many experts believe that Ethel was charged in the case as a way to force Julius to give up the names of other conspirators. But the move backfired. The couple remained steadfast in proclaiming their innocence.
The Rosenbergs went to trial in March 1951. David Greenglass testified against them in exchange for a lesser sentence. With the pervasive anti-communist crusade already under way in the United States, the Rosenbergs had little chance of a fair trial. Ethel Rosenberg was convicted and sentenced to death, despite lack of direct evidence linking her to Julius’s activities.
Death and Aftermath
The supporters of the Rosenbergs campaigned and protested on behalf of the couple. Both presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower were asked to give them clemency, but refused to grant a presidential pardon. The Rosenbergs fought for their life through a series of court appeals, but to no avail.
Ethel Rosenberg was executed at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York, on June 19, 1953, just minutes after her husband was put to death. A rabbi had reportedly asked to Ethel to cooperate with authorities after Julius’s death to stop her execution, but she refused. According to The New York Times, she said, “I have no names to give. I’m innocent.”
The case against Ethel Rosenberg has been questioned extensively since her death. While more evidence on her husband has emerged over the years, Ethel’s role in the conspiracy has remained unclear. The most damaging testimony came from her own brother. David Greenglass, however, later admitted that he lied about his sister’s involvement in the case.
