The Rosenbergs: Crime of Espionage

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Recommended: Relations of US&Russia after post war

In the 1950’s, the Soviet Union gained information on the atomic bomb with the help of two Americans. The couple, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, suffered greatly for their crime. The Rosenbergs, having committed a crime of espionage on the US, had a large impact on not only the nation, but the world. This was due to their historical execution.
Julius Rosenberg was born on May 12, 1918, in New York City (Petersen 1). Julius grew up in poverty on the lower east side of New York. He was the youngest of five children, and was very studious and religious. Julius was aiming at rabbinical studies and attended Downtown Talmud Torah (Frost 92). Later, he studied at Steward Park High School; he graduated from high school at the age of 16. He then went onto City College to major in electrical engineering in 1934. When at college, he became interested in radical political ideas. He joined a branch of the Young Communists League—the Steinmetz Club. In 1940, Julius was hired as a civilian engineer for the United States Army Signal Corps (Petersen 1).
Ethel Greenglass was born on September 28, 1915. She was also raised on the lower east side. She attended the same schools as Julius. Ethel graduated high school at the age of 15. Soon after, she landed a job as a clerk at a shipping company. She became interested in the Young Communists League, similar to Julius. However, Ethel loved to sing and aspired to be a professional entertainer. She was singing at a New Year’s Eve benefit when the couple met (Petersen 1).
Around 1943, a Russian KGB officer by the name of Aleksandr Feklisov asked Julius to work as a spy for the communist government of the Soviet Union (Petersen 1). Julius agreed to spy and recruit others. “Over the n...

... middle of paper ...

...zed a campaign to save the Rosenbergs. The couple received the support of liberals and religious leaders around the world (“Rosenberg Case” 1).
The Rosenbergs’ poor decision to spy for the soviets did eventually come back to haunt them. The United States had no mercy upon the Rosenbergs and their punishment became world renowned. Their execution had an affect on many individuals, even to this day.

Works Cited
Frost, Bob. “The Debate That Won’t Die.” Biography 2.2 (1998): 92 MasterFILE Premier. Web. 27 Jan. 2014.
Petersen, Jennifer B. “Julius and Ethel Rosenberg” Julius and Ethel Rosenberg (2005): 1 MasterFILE Premier. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.
“Rosenberg Case” Columbia Electronic Encyclopaedia, 6th Edition, (2013): 1 MasterFILE Premier. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.
Simkin, John. “Rosenberg Trial” Rosenberg Trial. Spartacus Educational, (2013): Web. 26 Jan. 2014.

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