Sixty years ago tonight, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for “conspiracy to commit espionage,” not “treason,” as some press reports said this week. Last year, I wrote a thorough report for Tablet Magazine on the issues in the case, bringing all we know up to date.
I made this point at the start of the article, referring to the arguments of all those on the Left who believe they were innocent, and were victims of a political witch-hunt:
The truth is that for those who accept evidence and reason, the debate should be over. Beginning with the first release in 1995 of the Venona decrypts of KGB messages to their agents in the United States, it became clear to even the most resolute doubters not only that Julius Rosenberg was a KGB agent who put together and ran an espionage ring made up of college friends who had become engineers or scientists but that his wife, Ethel, knew of and supported his activities. So, the question must be asked: Why did so many ignore the plain evidence of the Rosenbergs’ guilt? And why do so many continue to argue that the Rosenbergs were framed by the U.S. government?
Last Sunday, their dwindling band of supporters, led by Angela Davis and actress and “Vagina Monologue” playwright Eve Ensler, had their annual tribute at New York’s Town Hall. As long as people like these continue to spread their lies, it is our responsibility to remind everyone of the truth, and to counter their propaganda.
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