Tag Archives: Judge Irving Kaufman

julius and ethel rosenberg (volume 4, episode 8) part one

Soviet spies who betrayed the secret of the A-Bomb or innocent victims framed by Cold War hysteria, legal corruption and anti-Semitism? Over seventy years later the debate rages on.

Julius Rosenberg, mug shot

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg began their lives as two of the most unlikely individuals to ever acquire their eventual high profile notoriety.  Julius’ immigrant father, Harry, worked in the Garment District, providing his family with a better than average income that allowed the Rosenbergs to live a lifestyle marginally better than many of their Lower East Side counterparts.  His mother, also an immigrant from Eastern Europe was an illiterate homemaker who took care of Julius and his four siblings.  Quite serious, even as a teenager, Julius was a good enough student to consider rabbinical studies.  A high school graduate at 16, he eventually settled on engineering, enrolling at the City College of New York.  Politically aware, he also became active in several associations associated with the Communist Party, especially the Young Communist League.

Ethel Rosenberg, mug shot

Ethel Greenglass came from a similar Lower East Side background as her eventual husband, her father working in the sewing machine repair shop on the ground floor beneath the family apartment.  Three years older than Julius, they met as a result of their political interests and involvement in the Young Communist League.  Ethel was an aspiring actress and singer from a young age and was preparing to perform on New Year’s Eve, 1936, at a union benefit that Julius also attended.  After an introduction from a friend, Ethel agreed to Julius’ request to walk her home and from then on, the couple was inseparable. 

David Greenglass, mug shot

David Greenglass’ testimony against his own sister and brother-in-law, which even he admitted later was disingenuous and coached by the federal government, was lethal to the Rosenbergs.

Ruth Greenglass, mug shot

Only a minor player in the Rosenberg spy ring, the FBI and US Government threatened the Greenglass’ if they did not cooperate and help with the prosecution of their own relatives.

David and Ruth Greenglass during World War II

David Greenglass’ random assignment to the highly sensitive Manhattan Project to construct a nuclear weapon placed him in proximity to information that was of interest to his brother-in-law, Julius Rosenberg

Atom spy Klaus Fuchs

Fuchs’ arrest and testimony led the FBI to both Harry Gold and eventually the Rosenbergs.  He was sentenced to fourteen years in prison, served nine and was released.  He then emigrated to East Germany, and worked on weapons research until his eventual retirement as a highly decorated Communist hero.

Harry Gold

Harry Gold was a Soviet espionage agent and courier who interacted between David Greenglass and Klaus Fuchs.  He testified against the Rosenbergs, received a thirty year jail sentence and was released after serving approximately fifteen years.  He worked as a hospital pathologist and died in 1972.

The actual Jell-O box that was submitted as evidence during the Rosenberg trial

Although a recreation, this piece of evidence was crucial to demonstrating the tradecraft and espionage capabilities of Julius Rosenberg.  Harry Gold presented one half of the box to David Greenglass to introduce himself and demonstrate that he was sent by Julius Rosenberg.  The Jell-O box used at the trial is now in the National Archives.

 

julius and ethel rosenberg (volume 4, episode 8) part two

Soviet spies who betrayed the secret of the A-Bomb or innocent victims framed by Cold War hysteria, legal corruption and anti-Semitism? Over seventy years later the debate rages on.

Morton Sobell, while traveling to East Germany in the seventies

Sobell was a co-defendant of the Rosenbergs and claimed to be an innocent victim of a government frame-up.  He eventually admitted that he had passed secrets to the Russians and that Julius Rosenberg was an espionage agent.  But, he also claimed that Ethel Rosenberg was not part of the conspiracy.  Sobell spent almost eighteen years in prison before his release and death in 2018, age 101. 

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, minutes after their conviction

Other federal defendants who were transported to court with the Rosenbergs mention their deep devotion and affection for each other despite harrowing circumstances. 

Soviet intelligence agent Alexander Feklisov

Feklisov was the case officer who coordinated the espionage ring involving Klaus Fuchs, Harry Gold and Julius Rosenberg.  Feklisov was named the Washington, DC station chief in 1960 and played a prominent role in resolving the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas

After Justice Douglas permitted a last minute stay of execution for the Rosenbergs, the entire court was reconvened in a highly unusual session which vacated Douglas’ ruling.  The Rosenbergs were executed only hours later.

Prosecutor Irving Saypol

Considered one of several villains in the Rosenberg case, Saypol, a federal prosecutor,  eventually served on the New York State Supreme Court, a promotion that was perceived as a reward for his role in the prosecution and execution of the Rosenbergs.

The Rosenbergs’ gravesite, obscured by shrubs, Wellwood Cemetery, West Babylon, NY

Over ten thousand people crowded outside of the funeral home in Brooklyn where the Rosenbergs memorial was held.  The couple were buried on Long Island as many cemeteries in their native New York City refused to allow their burial. 

 

Julius and ethel rosenberg (volume 4, episode 8) Book and Music information

The books used to compose this podcast included:

“The Rosenberg File: A Search For The Truth,” by Ronald Radosh and Joyce Milton.

“Ethel Rosenberg: An American Tragedy,” by Anne Sebba.

“The Brother,” by Sam Roberts.

The music used in this podcast included in order: “69 Bronco,” “The Sound of a Dollar,” “The Loner,” (all by DJ Williams) and “Before I Go,” by RKVC