3. The Execution of the Rosenbergs
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were U.S. citizens who were executed for committing espionage for the Soviet Union. They were instrumental in giving the USSR information about atomic weapons. For many decades, people defended them as victims of Cold War paranoia.
The Rosenberg’s children worked tirelessly to clear their mother’s name, claiming she did not know the full extent of Julius’s work with the Soviet Union. The consensus among historians is that the couple were indeed guilty, but that their trial was marred by legal improprieties.
Julius joined the Army Signal Corps as an engineer but was later fired when it was discovered he was a member of the Communist party. It was later discovered that Julius shared thousands of documents with the Soviets.
The major controversy of this case was Ethel Rosenberg. It was thought that the case against her was very weak. Primary testimony from David and Ruth Greenglass changed halfway through the case to more deeply incriminate Ethel. Ethel and Julius were also pressured to name more people who were also spies. Aside from some major legal errors in the trial, the pair were executed on June 19, 1953, at Sing Sing Prison in New York.