The Rosenberg Case

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were a married couple convicted of spying for the Soviet Union and executed in 1953 — the only American civilians put to death for espionage during the Cold War. Their case became one of the most divisive of the era.

They were accused of passing secrets about the atomic bomb to the Soviets, helping Moscow build its own nuclear weapon. Arrested in 1950 amid the Red Scare, they were convicted largely on the testimony of Ethel's brother, and sentenced to death in a climate of intense anti-communist fear.

The case provoked an international outcry. Many believed the Rosenbergs were innocent victims of a witch hunt, or that the punishment — especially for Ethel, a mother of two — was grotesquely severe. Appeals for clemency came from around the world, but President Eisenhower refused.

Decoded Soviet cables released decades later confirmed that Julius had indeed spied for the USSR, though Ethel's role appears to have been minimal. The case endures as a symbol of the Cold War's fear and fervor, and of the high stakes of atomic-age espionage.