Example research essay topic: United States Army Julius And Ethel Rosenberg - 1,648 words

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The Rosenberg trial, which ended in a double execution in 1953, was one of Americas more controversial trials. It is sometimes referred to as, ... the best publicized spy hunt of all times... as it came to the public eye in the time of the atom-spy hysteria. Husband and wife, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were charged with conspiracy to commit espionage. Most of the controversy surrounding this case came from much speculation that there were influences being reinforced by behind-the-scenes pressure, mainly from the government, which was detected through many inconsistencies in testimonies and other misconduct in court.

Many shared the belief that Ethel Rosenberg expressed best as she wrote in one of her last letters before being executed, ... knowing my husband and I must be vindicated by history... We [Julius and Ethel Rosenberg] are the first victims of American Fascism. The Rosenberg's were found guilty of their crimes for a variety of factors, namely their history of involvement in the Communist party, the testimony of David Greenglass, the involvement of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the testimony of David Greenglass, the bias of Judge Kaufman, and the F.

B. I. s flagrant abuse of power. These factors or evidence also prove the Rosenberg's innocence. Many people believed that the Rosenberg's had a vulnerable background which made the couple fall victim to the government. One of the more incriminating factors involving the history of the Rosenberg's (specifically the history of Julius Rosenberg) was their involvement in the Communist Party.

Julius Rosenberg was involved in various Communist organizations including that of the Federation of Architects, Engineers, Chemists, and Technicians (F. A. E. C. T. ), a rather radical union for professionals. In September 1940, Julius Rosenberg was hired by the United States Army Signal Corps as a junior engineer, but was fired in March 1945 because he was found to be a member of the Communist party.

However, during this time Julius Rosenberg had terminated his membership in the Communist Party and stopped attending various other Communist-affiliated groups. The reason given was, ... no longer interested in the Communist literature presented to me [Julius Rosenberg]... He was employed in 1945 with Emerson Radio. Finally, in 1946 Bernard Greenglass, his brother-in-law, asked him to join a war surplus business called Pitt Machine Products Company. Ethel Rosenberg supported herself as a teenager through pageant prize money she had won for singing and dancing.

Later on she was employed as a clerk for National Shipping, but lost her job for union activities. They lived a fairly normal life with their two sons until June 15, 1950 when Ethel Rosenberg's brother, David Greenglass named the Rosenberg's as the people who had recruited him to spy for the Soviet Union. The Rosenberg's were indicted for conspiracy to transmit classified military information to the USSR. The case involving the Rosenberg's was judged by Irving R. Kaufman and began on March 6, 1951.

The Rosenberg's, as well as Morton Sobell, were accused of delivering information, documents, sketches, and other material vital to the national defence of the United States of America to a foreign power, namely, to the USSR. Greenglass testified that it was he who turned over most of these materials to the Rosenberg's, because of familial pressure. On April 5, 1951, after a much publicized court case, the couple were found guilty and sentenced to be executed in the week of May 21, and their accused co-conspirator, Morton Sobell received thirty years in jail due to the fact that he was not explicitly connected to the Rosenberg's alleged divulgence of secrets of the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. Many people were opposed to the sentence handed down to the Rosenberg's and President Eisenhower tried to justify the action: The execution of two human beings is a grave matter. But even graver is the thought of the millions dead whose death may be directly attributable to what these spies have done. After many failed appeals, the Rosenberg's were electrocuted minutes apart from each other on June 19, 1953.

There were many illogical and contradicting statements in the testimonies of witnesses at the Rosenberg's trial, especially that of David Greenglass. Greenglass worked for the United States Army and was posted at Los Alamos, New Mexico, as a guard to one of the scientists working on the Manhattan project. David Greenglass testified that his wife, Ruth Greenglass was contacted by Julius Rosenberg. Mr. Greenglass then testified that Rosenberg questioned Mrs. Greenglass about the whereabouts and assignments of David Greenglass.

By coming out and confessing, Greenglass was able to save his wife from a lengthy jail sentence, Greenglass testimony also made the Rosenberg's guilty of their crime. However, for weeks after her husbands arrest, Mrs. Greenglass vehemently denied her husbands confession and insisted that he was innocent, until July 1950 when she corroborated it, yet there were still many contradictions between the early testimonies of Ruth Greenglass and David Greenglass to be noted. One issue of disagreement was over passport photos. Julius Rosenberg supposedly told the Greenglass to get six pictures in the event that they needed to leave the country in haste. Mr.

Greenglass said they retained five of the pictures and gave the sixth to Julius Rosenberg. Ruth Greenglass, on the other hand, signed a confession long before the trial stipulating that the couple had surrendered the sixth photograph to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (F. B. I. ). Greenglass also admitted he gave Julius Rosenberg the names of scientists at Los Alamos and a sketch of a flat lens mold, a key component to the atomic bomb, yet people, that were well established in the scientific community, who saw the sketch, referred to them as a worthless caricature with many errors. Furthermore the verification of the names of scientists was also incorrect.

Greenglass stated he gave Dr. William Spindels name as someone who had worked on classified information about government experiments at Los Alamos. The doctor, however told the New York Times that Greenglass claim was untrue. Many people suspected that the F. B.

I. attempted to find a scientist to admit that they had given information to Greenglass, but were unable to find one to make the admonition. Most of the criticism of the case came from the appearance that Greenglass was working with the F. B. I.

When the questioning came even close to this topic in court, Judge Kaufman allowed Mr. Greenglass to avoid answering the questions put forth. Two weeks prior to the first date of the execution, new evidence of deception by David Greenglass was discovered but Judge Kaufman refused to grant an appeal. The strongest argument about Greenglass testimony is that he said that he had not received or given anything to the Russians, even indirectly.

Another discrepancy in the trial was the prosecutorial role which Judge Kaufman frequently assumed. Many found it ironic that, Kaufman, a New York Jew, Democrat and man of otherwise libertarian instincts felt compelled to impose punishment harsher than even J. Edgar Hoover thought called for. Some of the judges misconduct included his persistent questioning of Julius Rosenberg whenever it appeared that Rosenberg was making a favorable impression on the jury.

Judge Kaufman placed major emphasis on the fact that Ethel Rosenberg invoked her fifth amendment right and declined to answer questions on the basis that the testimony she would swear to may impeach her. The judge said, it is something that the jury may weigh and consider on the questioning of the truthfulness of the witness and on credibility... Not only that, but the judge allegedly would coerce the testimony of prosecutorial witnesses such as Max Either, Harry Gold, and Walter Koski. Defence lawyer Alexander Block tried to get a mistrial based on the judges conduct but was denied. The judges bias continued throughout the trial and was expressed most clearly in his sentencing speech. The issue of punishment in this case is presented in a unique framework of history.

I consider your crime worse than murder... I believe your conduct caused the Communist aggression in Korea... Many questioned his truthfulness in the case as Kaufman continued to obsess over it as revealed in F. B.

I. documents released later and his continuous need for approval of his conduct in the case. Misconduct by the F. B. I. is also pervasive in the Rosenberg case.

The F. B. I. spoke to Julius Rosenberg's cell mate, Jerome Tartakow, who said Rosenberg told him that he wouldnt answer in court if he was a member of the Communist party because it would incriminate himself. The prosecutors used this information to their benefit and asked Julius repeatedly about his involvement in the Young Communist League and the F. A.

C. E. T. The refusal of Rosenberg to answer questions pertaining to his involvement with Communist organizations left much skepticism in the jurors mind as to whether Rosenberg's testimony was truthful. Most horrifying of the F. B.

I. s role is portrayed in the F. B. I. s final examination of Julius Rosenberg in Sing Sing prison right before the his execution.

The F. B. I. asked him, Was your wife cognizant of your activities? The aforesaid statement demonstrates how the Rosenberg trial not a case based primarily on facts but on prejudice. Ethel Rosenberg was about to be executed as a full-fledged partner in Julius crime and yet there was still doubt about her participation in the conspiracy now, only minutes before her execution?

The Rosenberg trial is considered one of the famous trials of the previous century. The evidence of the F. B. I. s mishandling the case, the coercion of David Greenglass and his wife, as well as the bias which Judge Irving Kaufman presented at the Rosenberg trial show that the Rosenberg's did not receive a fair trial and would have been found innocent if these factors were not involved.

Research essay sample on United States Army Julius And Ethel Rosenberg