Rosenberg Case, 1951

Who were the Rosenbergs?

Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were a married couple. Julius was an engineer working for the US Army Signal Corps. They were put on trial during the Second Red Scare.

When were the Rosenbergs put on trial?

The trial of the Rosenbergs started on 6th March, 1951.

What were the Rosenbergs accused of?

The Rosenbergs were accused of spying for the USSR and passing on nuclear secrets.

What was the evidence against the Rosenbergs?

There were 3 main things to note about the evidence against the Rosenbergs:

• ❖ It came from decoding Soviet telegrams in which the Rosenbergs were not directly named, but code names were used.
• ❖ It was Ethel's own brother, David Greenglass, who named Julius and Ethel as spies. Initially he only named Julius but later claimed his sister was involved, supposedly to save his own wife.
• ❖ There is much debate about exactly what happened. It is likely Julius was spying and Ethel was innocent.

What events affected the trial of the Rosenbergs?

During the Rosenberg trial, the Korean War had started, increasing Cold War tension. The Second Red Scare was escalating.

How were the Rosenbergs punished?

On 5th April, 1951, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were sentenced to death. They were electrocuted on 19th June, 1953.

What happened after the Rosenbergs sentence?

There were 2 main consequences of the Rosenberg case:

• ❖ There were protests in support of the Rosenbergs because they had received the death sentence. To some people, it seemed an excessive punishment.
• ❖ The Second Red Scare intensified and created the climate in which Senator McCarthy could accuse many people of being communists.