WARNING: EXPLICIT MATERIAL

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Birth Name:

Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Greenglass

Birth Place:

Manhattan, New York, New York

Death Date:

June 19, 1953

Place of Death:

Sing Sing Prison, Ossining, New York

Cause of Death:

Execution by electric chair

Cemetery Name:

Wellwood Cemetery

Claim to Fame:

Crime and their Victims

It was a case that mesmerized the country and the world. On June 19, 1953, at the height of the Cold War, New York City–born Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were put to death in the electric chair. Convicted of conspiring to pass atomic bomb secrets to the Soviet Union, they were the first civilians to be executed by the United States on espionage charges. Their conviction of spying for the Soviet Union included providing top-secret information about American radar, sonar, jet propulsion engines, and nuclear weapon designs. Convicted of espionage in 1951, they were executed in 1953 at Sing Sing in Ossining, New York. For decades, many people, including the Rosenberg's sons (Michael and Robert Meeropol), maintained that Julius and Ethel were innocent of spying on their country and were victims of Cold War paranoia. Several years after their execution, top nuclear scientist Boris V. Brokhovich stated the Soviets had developed their own bomb by trial and error. "You sat the Rosenbergs in the electric chair for nothing", he said. "We got nothing from the Rosenbergs." The notes allegedly typed by Ethel Rosenberg as dictated by her husband apparently contained little that was directly used in the Soviet atomic bomb project. According to Julius's contact Feklisov, the Rosenbergs did not provide the Soviet Union with any useful material about the atomic bomb: "He [Julius] didn't understand anything about the atomic bomb and he couldn't help us."

Were They Guilty?

More than a half-century since their execution, historians and cold-war scholars have come to the conclusion that points to Julius Rosenberg as a busy—and successful—recruiter of Soviet spies. The network he helped create stole information on all kinds of military technology. Even his sons believe that, though Julius did steal nuclear secrets, the information wasn’t of much value. Most certainly if found guilty today, he would not have been executed but sentenced to 20 years-to-life in prison.

On the other hand, Ethel is, with 99% certainty, innocent of all charges brought against her. Ethel’s brother, David Greenglass, was instrumental in her conviction, telling a grand jury that she typed up Julius’ notes. During the course of an interview with an historian, Greenglass admitted that he had lied on the witness stand about the single most incriminating evidence against his sister — that she typed his handwritten notes for delivery to the Soviets. Without that testimony, Ethel Rosenberg might well have never been convicted, much less executed. Many believe Greenglass’s wife, Ruth, actually typed up the notes to pass to the soviet spies. Decades after the execution of his sister and brother-in-law, when asked if he would have done anything differently, he replied, “Never.”

David Greenglass spent 9 years in prison for his role in stolen nuclear secrets and died a coward under an assumed name in New York City in 2014 at the age of 92. Ruth had testified (lied) in the trial as well against both Julius and Ethel and she received no prison time. There was no announcement of his passing and to this day, his name remains absent from his tombstone at Mt Hebron Cemetery where he was buried next to Ruth.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Wellwood Cemetery

1400 Wellwood Avenue

West Babylon, New York, 11704

USA

North America

Map:

Map of Wellwood Cemetery in Little Babylon, New York

Grave Location:

Section 1, Block 5, Grave 2 & 4, Division NFG

Grave Location Description

Enter the cemetery on North Avenue from Wellwood Avenue. Drive through the first intersection and then drive another 200 feet and park on North Avenue. Look to your left for letters on the curbside. Take the walkway marked “F-G” with the Waldman Family memorial just to the right of the walkway. Walk 100 feet into Block 5 for the gravesites of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.