The Trial and Execution of Cold War Spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Updated: Apr 15
The executions of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg in 1953 stirred up a level of global controversy rarely matched by other death penalty executions, the outcry can still be heard today. Accused of overseeing a spy network that stole American atomic secrets and sharing them with the Soviet Union, the couple were the only spies executed during the Cold War.
Julius Rosenberg was widely regarded as an ardent Communist. His employment at the Army Signal Corps Engineering Laboratories rendered him an appealing target for Soviet espionage recruiters, who apparently made their approach to him on Labour Day, 1942
In 1944, Julius assumed the role of a recruiter for the Russians, supervising several spies, among whom was his brother-in-law David Greenglass, whose actions would ultimately lead to the downfall of Julius and Ethel. Greenglass worked on the Manhattan Project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.
Following the exposure of the espionage ring, Greenglass was apprehended on June 15, 1950. He implicated his wife as a fellow conspirator, implicating Julius as well. Initially, Greenglass denied his sister Ethel's involvement, but subsequently altered his testimony.
Shortly thereafter, the FBI conducted a raid on the Rosenberg residence, leading to the arrest of Julius. Ethel's arrest followed later as she exited a federal courthouse in New York City, having testified to her lack of awareness regarding espionage activities. The FBI aimed for Ethel's arrest to pressure Julius into revealing the identities of other Communist sympathisers.
Greenglass subsequently disclosed to New York Times journalist Sam Roberts that he had struck a deal with the government, incriminating his sister in exchange for immunity for his wife.
According to sentencing guidelines, the judge faced a decision between a 30-year prison term or the death penalty for Julius and Ethel. FBI director J. Edgar Hoover recommended a 30-year imprisonment for Ethel, anticipating that she might divulge information while in custody.
However, Judge Irving Kaufman opted for the death penalty for both Rosenbergs. In contrast, David Greenglass received a 15-year sentence, of which he served slightly over nine years.
In imposing the death penalty, Kaufman noted that he held the Rosenbergs responsible not only for espionage but for American deaths in the Korean War:
I believe your conduct in putting into the hands of the Russians the A-bomb years before our best scientists predicted Russia would perfect the bomb has already caused, in my opinion, the Communist aggression in Korea, with the resultant casualties exceeding 50,000 and who knows but that millions more of innocent people may pay the price of your treason. Indeed, by your betrayal you undoubtedly have altered the course of history to the disadvantage of our country.
During their time in prison, the Rosenberg children were allowed visits with their parents. In one poignant moment recounted in their biography, Michael, who was not yet 10, reminisces about playing word games, including Hangman, with his father.
The U.S. government offered to spare the lives of both Julius and Ethel if Julius provided the names of other spies and they admitted their guilt. The Rosenbergs made a public statement:
"By asking us to repudiate the truth of our innocence, the government admits its own doubts concerning our guilt...we will not be coerced, even under pain of death, to bear false witness"
On June 19th, 1953, three years after the trial, the Rosenbergs were executed. Ethel's execution was marred by complications; after three electric shocks, it was discovered that her heart was still beating, two more electric shocks were applied, and at the conclusion, eyewitnesses reported that smoke rose from her head. This disturbing event sparked international outrage over her death.
Across the world, especially in Western European capitals, there were numerous protests with picketing and demonstrations in favour of the Rosenbergs, along with editorials in otherwise pro-American newspapers, and a plea for clemency from Pope Pius XII. President Eisenhower, supported by public opinion and the media at home, ignored the overseas demands.
The funeral services were held in Brooklyn on June 21. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were buried at Wellwood Cemetery, a Jewish cemetery in Pinelawn, New York. The Times reported that 500 people attended and some 10,000 stood outside:
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. Many hundreds of people filed past the biers. 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. 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. Tender. And Intelligent" and the course they took was one of "courage and heroism."
The enduring controversy surrounding the case stems, in part, from the perceived severity of the sentencing. Dr. Arne Kislenko, a history professor at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, suggests that the convictions were influenced by the geopolitical climate of the era, characterized by heightened U.S. efforts to project strength in response to Soviet aggression, notably during the Korean War.
“Needless to say, it was also a bit of pander to the increasingly vitriolic anti-communism of the period, mostly coming from Joseph McCarthy and his associates,” Kislenko says.
In 2016, the Rosenberg’s sons asked President Barack Obama to pardon their mother.
“Ethel’s guilt remains a question because of a lack of documentation, both in terms of proofs offered during and after her conviction in the U.S. and in Soviet documents released decades later,” explains Kislenko. “That said, most historians think she was guilty.”
Kislenko highlights that conspirator Morton Sobell affirmed Ethel’s involvement in 2008. Additionally, Soviet KGB documents released later depict Ethel as a significant participant in her husband’s endeavors.
“My view is that she was most certainly in-the-know about her husband’s activities and, again persuaded by KGB documentation, that she played a more active role than imagined by her defenders,” says Kislenko.
Nonetheless, Kislenko has reservations about how justice was served. “I hold fast to the fact that her trial, like Julius’s, was handled terribly with many improprieties so bad that they should never have been convicted, let alone executed.”
Michael and Robby Rosenberg were aged 10 and six, respectively, at the time of their parents' execution. Following their parents' death, they were placed under the care of various state organisations before being adopted by Anne and Abel Meeropol, ultimately adopting their surname.
The Meeropols were both teachers, and Abel was also a lyricist. He wrote Strange Fruit, a song made famous by Billie Holiday, and the royalties from that and other songs kept the family comfortable. The boys went on to make successful careers in economics and law, and have families of their own.
