In a dramatic turn of events, the family of Ethel Rosenberg, who was executed alongside her husband, Julius, in 1953 on charges of espionage for the Soviet Union, have implored President Joe Biden to officially exonerate her.
This plea comes in the wake of a recently disclosed document suggesting that the U.S. government was aware of her innocence during the peak of the Red Scare.
The Rosenbergs' case has been a subject of controversy for decades, with many viewing it as a potential miscarriage of justice. While the majority of historians agree that Julius Rosenberg was indeed a Soviet spy, doubts have persisted about Ethel Rosenberg's involvement. Their sons, Robert and Michael Meeropol, have tirelessly advocated for their family's cause.
As reported by The Guardian, a document from the National Security Agency reveals that a leading U.S. codebreaker, who decrypted covert Soviet communications during the Cold War, concluded that Ethel Rosenberg was aware of her husband Julius's activities in atomic espionage but "did not engage in the work herself."
The Meeropol brothers, who were merely seven and three years old when their parents were apprehended, have spent decades trying to prove that their mother was wrongfully accused of espionage. They are now urging Biden to vindicate Ethel Rosenberg by issuing a presidential proclamation stating that she was unjustly convicted and executed.
Michael Meeropol, 81, expressed both relief and anger upon learning that the U.S. government had concluded seven months before her trial in 1951, and nearly three years before her execution in 1953, that Ethel Rosenberg was not a spy. He criticized the U.S. government for this "unspeakable injustice" and for taking 74 years to finally disclose the truth by declassifying and releasing this crucial exonerating memo.
Robert Meeropol, 77, expressed deep satisfaction at finally having it confirmed "that our mother was not engaged in espionage." He asserted that to rectify this wrong, the U.S. government must officially correct the record, and Biden must issue "a presidential proclamation stating that our mother, Ethel Rosenberg, was wrongfully convicted and executed."
The previously undisclosed assessment, released last month, was written shortly after Rosenberg's arrest. While few investigators dispute that Julius Rosenberg was a Soviet spy, his wife's involvement has been contested.
The released NSA memo, penned by linguist and codebreaker Meredith Gardner from decrypted Soviet communications, concludes that Ethel Rosenberg "knew about her husband's work, but that due to ill health she did not engage in the work herself." The memo, according to the Associated Press, refers to Julius Rosenberg, a civil engineer, by his Soviet code names initially "Antenna" and later "Liberal" and portrays him as a recruitment agent for Soviet intelligence.
In a separate section titled "Mrs. Julius Rosenberg," Gardner interprets a decoded message as indicating that Ethel Rosenberg was a "party member" and "devoted wife" but not a spy herself, and she had no code name.
Despite Gardner's assessment, the Rosenbergs were put on trial months after the memo was written. The Meeropols claim that the memo would have been accessible to the FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover, but he chose not to share it with those who could have altered her conviction, including Presidents Harry Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The Meeropol brothers argue that the memo serves as the "capstone" to the body of evidence demonstrating their mother did not engage in espionage for the Soviets.
Michael Meeropol reflected on the impact of their parents' execution on their lives. "That unjust act by the U.S. government shaped our lives. Despite our good fortune to have been raised by loving adoptive parents, whose last name we live out our lives with pride, we have relentlessly pursued the truth about our parents throughout our adult lives. We are deeply gratified that we finally know the truth about our mother."
The brothers expressed their gratitude to the national director of intelligence, Avril Haines, for supporting a more transparent approach by the NSA. They expressed hope that this release signals a broader shift by the national security community towards greater openness.
Jenn Meeropol, the Rosenbergs' granddaughter, stated that Biden has "the power to right this historic injustice, redress the harm done to my family, and bring peace to my father and uncle in their lifetimes." She urged the public to back their demand.
However, the Rosenberg case remains contentious. Emory University historian Harvey Klehr maintains that Ethel Rosenberg conspired to commit espionage because "she was an active participant in her husband's spy network, not just someone who happened to agree with her husband about politics." Meanwhile, Harvard University historian Mark Kramer argues that the interpretation of the Russian communication is debatable and other documents contain "damning evidence" against her.
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