NCJ Number
126257
Date Published
1991
Length
16 pages
Annotation
The essay reviews the history of the controversy surrounding the Rosenberg atom spy case, summarizes the views of the critics, and presents new evidence which casts doubt on the prosecution's version of events.
Abstract
There were opposing interpretations of the Rosenbergs' stance. Defenders of the prosecution's version of events denigrated the Rosenbergs as political deviants of the worst kind, that is, treasonous members of an international Communist conspiracy who betrayed their native land by giving the enemy top secret plans. Supporters of the Rosenbergs portrayed them as political deviants of the best kind, that is unusually principled people who were the victims of false allegations by frightened relatives, but who refused to make up accusations of their own to save their lives. Over the years, the government's handling of the case has been criticized. The most serious accusation against the official version of events is that the Rosenbergs were innocent victims of a politically inspired frame-up. The origins of this point of view can be traced back to the Rosenbergs themselves. The new evidence, unearthed concerning more income from unknown sources in the finances of the Greenglasses than was released at the trial, undermines the official version of the case. Most of the prosecution's case boiled down to the unsupported accusations of the Greenglasses against the Rosenbergs. The discovery of mysterious income undermines the credibility of the Greenglasses and strengthens the believability of the Rosenbergs who suggested the possibility of the Greenglass's black market involvement, but lacked banking records as proof. The Rosenberg atom spy case underscores the importance of the Freedom of Information Act. The case also demonstrated how assumptions, exaggerations, half-truths, and falsehoods can become widely believed during periods of political polarization and high emotions. 49 references.