The Rosenberg Trial Essay, Research Paper
The Rosenberg trial, which ended in a
double execution in 1953, was one of the century’s most
controversial trials. It was sometimes referred to as, "the
best publicized spy hunt of all times" as it came to the public
eye in the time of atom-spy hysteria. Husband and wife,
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were charged with conspiracy to
commit espionage. Most of the controversy surrounding this
case came from mass speculation that there were influences
being reinforced by behind-the-scenes pressure, mainly from
the government, which was detected through much
inconsistencies in testimonies and other misconduct in the
court. Many shared the belief that Ethel Rosenberg
expressed best as she wrote in one of her last letters before
being executed, "-knowing my husband and I must be
vindicated by history…We are the first victims of American
Fascism." Some people believed that the Rosenbergs had a
vulnerable background which made these innocent people
fall victim to the government. In September 1940 Julius
Rosenberg was hired by US army Signal Corps as a junior
engineer, but fired March 1945 because he was found to be
a member of the communist party. He was employed in
1945 with Emerson Radio. Finally, in 1946 Bernard
Greenglass, his brother-in-law, asked him to a join war
surplus business called Pitt Machine Products Company.
Ethel Rosenberg supported herself as a teenager through
pageant prize money she won as a singer and dancer. Later
on she was employed as a clerk for National Shipping but
lost her job for union activities. They lived a happily married
life with two sons until June 15, 1950 when brother-in-law,
David Greenglass named Julius and Ethel as people who
recruited him to spy for the Soviet Union. The case judged
by Irving R. Kaufman began on March 6,1957. The
Rosenbergs, as well as Morton Sobell, were accused of
delivering information, documents, sketches and other
material vital to the national defense of our country, to a
foreign power, namely, to Soviet Russia. Greenglass testified
that it was he who turned over most of these materials to the
Rosenbergs because of pressure. On March 29, after a
much publicized court case, the couple were found guilty and
sentenced to be executed in the week of May 21, and their
accused co-conspirator, Sobell, got 30 years in jail because
he was not explicitly connected to the atom bomb. Many
people were against this decision and the president tried to
justify such rash actions: "The execution of two human beings
is a grave matter. But even graver is the thought of the
millions of dead whose death may be directly attributable to
what these spies have done." After many failed appeals,
Julius and Ethel were electrocuted minutes apart on June 19,
1953. Some of Julius’ last words were, "…Never let them
change the truth of our innocence." There were many illogical
and contradicting statements in the testimonies, especially in
Ethel Rosenberg’s brother’s, David Greenglass’. David
worked for the US army and for a time in a place where
there was work on atomic energy. David Testified that the
Rosenbergs asked his wife for information on the atomic
bomb. By coming out and confessing, the Greenglasses were
seen as helpless tools of the Rosenbergs. For weeks after
her husband’s arrest, before the accusation of the
Rosenbergs, Ruth vehemently denied her husband’s
confession and insisted that he was innocent. In mid July
1950, Ruth corroborated David’s story. Yet there are many
contradictions between early testimonies of Ruth and her
husband’s testimony to be noted. One issue of disagreement
was over passport photos Julius Rosenberg supposedly told
the Greenglasses to get six pictures in case they need to
leave the country quickly. David said they kept five of the
pictures and gave the sixth to Julius. Ruth, on the other hand,
signed testimonies long before the trial saying they gave the
sixth to the FBI. Later it was proven that no such pictures
were given to the FBI. David also admitted that he gave to
Julius scientists’ names and sketches of a flat lease mold, yet
people who saw the sketches referred to them as, " a
worthless caricature with many errors." As far as names of
scientists went, Greenglass claimed he gave Dr. William
Spindel’s name as someone who gave information about
government experiments. The doctor, however told the New
York Times that it was not true. Many people suspected that
the FBI tried to find a scientist to admit he gave information,
but were unable to find one to go along with this story. There
are several hypotheses as to why David Greenglass may
have falsely accused his sister’s family in their actions. One
was that there was some ill will between families because of
the failure of a family business. David tried to downplay the
animosity between families due to financial and social
humiliation. In court, Julius quoted David saying, "I am in a
terrible jam…I must have a couple of thousand dollars in
cash…I just got to have that money and if you don’t get me
that money, you are going to be sorry." Exactly how sorry
did David mean? Perhaps David put his own credibility in
danger in the belief that he could win leniency for his own
crimes by pointing to more important traitors. The
Rosenbergs were especially vulnerable to the government
because of past political associations. Most of the criticism
of the case came from the appearance that Greenglass was
working in cahoots with the FBI. When questioning came
even close to this topic in court, Judge Kaufman allowed
David to avoid answering and steered the questioning in a
different direction. Two weeks before the execution was
supposed to take place, new evidence of blatant lying by
David Greenglass was discovered but the judge refused the
request of an appeal. The strongest argument about David’s
testimony is that he never actually said that received or gave
anything to "Russians." Another thing that seemed wrong in
the trial was the prosecuting role which Judge Kaufman often
took. Many found it ironic that, "Kaufman- a New York
Jew, Democrat and man of otherwise liberaterian instincts-
felt compelled to impose punishment harsher than even J.
Edgar Hoover thought called for." Some of the judge’s
misconduct included h
whenever it appeared that Julius sounded sincere and was
making a favorable impression on the jury. Judge Kaufman
made a big point when Ethel used her fifth amendment right
and declined to answer questions on the basis that she might
incriminate herself. The judge said, "it is something that the
jury may weigh and consider on the questioning of the
truthfulness of the witness and on credibility…" Not only that,
but the judge allegedly would lead prosecuting witnesses to
say things against defense. Defense lawyer Mr. Alexander
Block tried to get a mistrial based on the judge’s behavior
but was denied. The judges bias continued throughout the
trial and was expressed most clearly in his sentencing
speech. "The issue of punishment in this case is presented in
a unique framework of history. I consider your crime worse
than murder….I believe your conduct caused the communist
aggression in Korea…" Many questioned his truthfulness in
the case as Kaufman continued to obsess over it as revealed
in FBI documents released later and his continuous need for
approval of his conduct in the case. Misconduct by the FBI
is also pervasive in the Rosenberg case. The FBI spoke to
Julius Rosenberg’s cellmate, Jerome Tartakow, who said
Julius to him that he wouldn’t answer in court if he was a
member of the Communist party because it would
incriminate himself. The prosecutors used this information to
their benefit and asked Julius repeatedly . What they left out
of Mr. Tartkow’s testimony is that Julius said he was
innocent of espionage. Most horrifying of the FBI’s role is
portrayed in the FBIs final questioning of Julius in Sing Sing
right before his execution. The FBI asked him, "Was your
wife cognizant of your activities?" Ethel was about to be
executed as a full- fledged partner in Julius’ crime. How can
they doubt her participation now, only minutes before her
execution? Many saw the trial as an attempt to scare all
American members of the Communist party. During the trial
itself, there was no need to connect communism with the
charge of espionage, never-the-less, it was done excessively.
The prosecutors used a primitive bias as a substitute proof
for motive. President Eisenhower practically admitted to this.
"The execution were necessary to refute the known
convictions of Communist leaders all over the world that free
governments…are notoriously weak and fearful and that
consequently subserve and other kinds of activity can be
conducted against them with no real fear of dire punishment."
The primary consideration was that going through with the
execution would send a message to the Communists that
from now on, American nationals recruited into Soviet
espionage networks would be treated with the utmost
security. So many recognized and respected people believed
the verdict of death had been sealed from the beginning by a
conspiracy of the fascist, anti-semitic forces that controlled
America. They held the belief that the Rosenbergs were,
"hopeless victims of cold war hysteria, singled out because
of their political views, and perhaps also because of their
Jewishness." U.S. Ambassador Douglass Dillion said,
"Nothing could be better calculated than this claim to
convince waverers that the Rosenbergs, if executed, will be
victims of what the Europeans freely term McCarthyism."
Harold Urey, a world-renounced scientist said: " Now that I
can see what goes on in Judge Kaufman’s courtroom, I
believe that the Rosenbergs are innocent…What appalls me
most is the role that the press are playing. The judge’s bias is
so obvious. I keep looking over at the newspapermen and
there is not a flicker of indignation or concern…." Albert
Einstein wrote to President Truman: "My conscience
compels me to urge you to commute the death sentence of
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg…this appeal to you was
prompted by the same reasons which were set forth so
convincingly by my colleague Harold C. Urey in his letter…"
In a letter written October 23, 1952 by Julius to his sons
Michael and Robert the same sentiment was expressed.
"Our case is an integral part of the conspiracy to establish
fear in our land. The political nature of the frame-up is
obvious and the facts must be presented to expose to public
attention the danger that this holds to those who fight for
peace." Ethel summarized it best in a letter she sent October
13, 1953 from jail to her husband in jail that said" Again
political necessity has overruled due process!" It seems as
though many people will continue to doubt the prevalence of
truth and justice in the Rosenberg trial. Perhaps the most
frightful aspect of the case is that this Democratic country of
ours is capable of pulling off such an injustice, in order to
send a message to the people of the world. Biliography
Huston, Luther A., "Rosenbergs Gain a Stay; Review Set,"
June 17, 1953, Sec.1, p.1. "President Says Couple
Increased ‘Chances of Atomic War’", June 19, 1953, Sec.1,
p.1. The New York Times Meeropol, Robert and Michael.
We Are Your Sons. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company,
1970. Radosh, Ronald and Milton, Joyce. The Rosenberg
File. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1983.
Yalkowsky, Stanley. The Murder of the Rosenbergs. New
York: Library of Congress, 1990. Ronald Radosh and
Joyce Milton, The Rosenberg File(New York: Holt,
Rinehart and Winston, 1983), pp. 170. Robert and Michael
Meeropol, We Are Your Sons(Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Company, 1970), P. 217. Stanley Yalkowsky, The Murder
of the Rosenbergs(New York: Library of Congress, 1990),
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A. Huston, "Rosenbergs Gain a Stay; Review Set," The
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Huston, "President Says Couple Increased ‘Chances of
Atomic War,’" The New York Times, June 19, 1953, Sec.
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