Why are the rosenbergs significant

They claimed that David gave a sketch and description of an atomic bomb to Julius in September Now, however, Greenglass claimed that this exchange occurred in the living room of the Rosenbergs' New York apartment, and that Ethel was present. They stated Ethel was present during all meetings, typing notes for Julius.

Ruth stated in her witness testimony: "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. Ethel then sat down at the typewriter which she placed on a bridge table in the living room and proceeded to type the info which David had given to Julius. She was viewed as a co-conspirator and never indicted. Some scholars believe that Ruth may have been the individual to type notes, due to her past involvement with the Communist Party , and conflicting statements made by David.

The Greenglasses never withdrew their new testimony. On March 29, , the court convicted Julius and Ethel Rosenberg of conspiracy to commit espionage. On April 5, Judge Kaufman sentenced them to death, and sentenced Sobell to 30 years in prison.

Some reports claim that the Rosenbergs were offered a plea deal, where admittance of their guilt would grant them a prison sentence. David Greenglass received a 15 year prison sentence and was released in This request was denied.

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 fifty thousand and who knows how many millions more of innocent people may pay the price of your treason. Due to Red Scare trials and newspaper headlines, Americans in the s, and s knew that Soviet espionage was serious.

It was known that some communists, such as Fuchs, had spied for the Soviets. Despite these fears, the trial of the Rosenbergs produced mixed reactions among the public. Many Americans who were politically left-wing believed the Rosenbergs were persecuted solely for their past involvement with the Communist Party. Their legal team worked to have the verdict overturned, but their efforts failed.

Neither President Truman nor President Eisenhower granted requests to remove the death sentence. The attorneys appealed to the U. Supreme Court nine times, but the Court never reviewed the record. Edgar Hoover publicly opposed the trial. He believed the execution of Ethel, a young mother, would reflect negatively on both the FBI and the Justice Department. Many commentators of the time argued that the death penalty was used unjustly in the courts as a way to force the Rosenbergs and others to confess to espionage, or to name others involved.

The majority of newspapers at the time in the U. In contrast to the American media, European newspapers did not support the ruling, and there were some protests against it throughout Europe. Despite some public outrage and failed appeals, the Rosenbergs were executed by electric chair at Sing Sing Prison on June 19, They were the only American civilians executed for espionage during the Cold War.

During the s, the U. Venona would also help the government locate spy rings. The Venona project documents were still highly classified at the time of the trial and therefore could not be used as evidence.

Many of these decoded messages identified Soviet spies within the Manhattan Project. Greenglass served less than ten years in prison, and his wife, Ruth, was never charged. We've seen our government mistreat our fellow citizens. And it has been a shameful part of our history. It has never, however, corrected its mistreatment of Ethel Rosenberg.

FBI files indicate they knew Ethel Rosenberg did not spy. Branigan to A. Random House. The conviction of the Rosenbergs was the climax of a fast-paced series of events that were set in motion with the arrest of British physicist Klaus Fuchs in Great Britain in February British authorities, with assistance from the U. Fuchs almost immediately confessed his role and began a series of accusations. Fuchs confessed that American Harry Gold had served as a courier for the Soviet agents to whom Fuchs passed along his information.

American authorities captured Gold, who thereupon pointed the finger at David Greenglass, a young man who worked at the laboratory where the atomic bomb had been developed. Gold claimed Greenglass was even more heavily involved in spying than Fuchs. Upon his arrest, Greenglass readily confessed and then accused his sister and brother-in-law, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, of being the spies who controlled the entire operation.

Both Ethel and Julius had strong leftist leanings and had been heavily involved in labor and political issues in the United States during the lates and s.

Julius was arrested in July and Ethel in August By present-day standards, the trial was remarkably fast. It began on March 6, and the jury had convicted both of conspiracy to commit espionage by March The Rosenbergs were not helped by a defense that many at the time, and since, have labeled incompetent. By most accounts, Julius Rosenberg was an enthusiastic Communist. After the ring was uncovered, Greenglass was arrested on June 15, He named his wife as a co-conspirator, along with Julius.

Greenglass originally denied his sister Ethel was involved, but later changed his story. Ethel was later arrested while leaving a federal courthouse in New York City after testifying she had no knowledge of espionage efforts. Sentencing guidelines gave the judge two choices for Julius and Ethel: 30 years imprisonment or execution.