58 years later, records unsealed in Rosenberg spy case

CNN ^ | July 22, 2008 | Ronni Berke

[K-oneTexas]

58 years later, records unsealed in Rosenberg spy case
After 58 years, historians and journalists will have a chance to examine the secret grand jury testimony of witnesses in the espionage case against Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. The couple was investigated in 1950, tried in 1951 for conspiracy to commit espionage and convicted and sentenced to death in 1953. Cold War scholars are hoping the grand jury transcripts will shed light on some nagging questions about the case -- primarily, just how strong the case was against Ethel Rosenberg. The National Security Archive, the American Historical Association, the Georgetown University Law Center and others have petitioned to have the transcripts of 46 witnesses released to the public. In an unusual move, federal authorities have said that because of the historic significance of the case, they do not oppose releasing the transcripts of testimony from witnesses who have died or who do not object to their release. Of the 46 grand jury witnesses, 36 are either deceased or do not object to releasing the transcripts. Three others are thought to have died; four have not been located. In a partial ruling Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied a request to release the testimony of three other witnesses, including one of the most controversial -- David Greenglass, Ethel Rosenberg's brother and a pivotal witness who testified against the couple....

[K-oneTexas]

Book Review- The Brother: The Untold Story of the Rosenberg Case

[null and void]

Will the “progressives” be wearing black arm-bands this weeK?

[Coffee200am]

IMPEACH Eisenhower!

[Joe Boucher]

Will be interesting to see what the info is that hung these two.
Thanks

[LS]

This is one of the lies in my new book, "48 Liberal Lies About American History," coming out in Sept., that the Rosenbergs were innocent.

They deserved every watt they got.

[SkyDancer]

Oh Wow, OK, our bad ... y’all come back, ya hear?

[Knitebane]

This crap again?

The Venona intercepts effectively proved Julius Rosenberg's guilt.

The case against Ethel Rosenberg is a bit murkier, but at the very least she was an accomplice after the fact.

[blu]

Thanks for the link. I even had to turn the tv off to concentrate on it. Very good reading.

[Tijeras_Slim]

That won’t make a difference. They still are in the progressive martyr pantheon with ol’ Sacco and Vanzetti.

[blu]

It appears that Ethel was a victim of family politics. If she just would have answered the question “Are you or were you ever a Communist” honestly, she might have lessened her punishment. But her brother didn’t have any trouble throwing her under the bus! Nice guy....

[SamuraiScot]

58 years later, records unsealed in Rosenberg spy case

Here's a prediction:

1) The records will show Ethel and Julius were both guilty as sin.

2) This story on the opening of the records will therefore be the last we hear about the case in the moonbeam, er. mainstream media.

I guess there's one more possibility:

3) Hoping that few people will read the transcripts, the moonbeamers will publish stories directly contradicted by the unsealed records—alleging that the records show Ethel was an innocent bystander.

[Rappini]

The way folks think today the Rosenberg's would get off with probation.

[FredZarguna]

Here's my prediction:

• Radosh and Milton already interviewed most, if not all, of the people who died or agreed to have their evidence revealed. There will be nothing new.
• Enterprising left-wingers will nevertheless claim that there is new evidence -- probably mitigating the case against Ethel. The putative New Evidence will be printed in The Nation.
• The mainstream media will continue to portray the case as "controversial" instead of the stone-lock on the Rosenberg's guilt that it was.
• Some idiot portrayed as a conservative -- most likely David Brooks -- will argue that it pretty much backs up the existing narrative, but Ethel got a bad break.
• At some point in twenty, thirty, or fifty years, conservatives will decide the thing's been settled and stop defending it. At that point a new retrospective version of history will be introduced that concludes the whole thing was an incredible overreaction, and that view will pass into the conventional "wisdom."
• Eventually, the Rosenbergs will be acknowledged as people who made a bad decision, but were ultimately victims of a crazed witch-hunt in an irrational time in American History.

[healy61]

They would more than likely be in line for a democratic nomination somewhere.

[Skooz]

And Alger Hiss.

[LucyT]

Ping.

[Carley]

Ethel belonged under the bus, or in the electric chair.

[Pontiac]

May be the Rosenberge children will finally shut up, but I doubt it.

[Pontiac]

IMPEACH Eisenhower!

Believe it or not there is nothing preventing an ex-president from being impeached and removed from office.

I think the Slickmiester should be Impeached and Removed from Office. The public coffers could then be saved the cost of his retirement and SS coverage.

[ops33]

You know, I was almost ready to post a reply to you saying you had mis-spelled the program name only to do some checking and find out that Venona was correct name of the program.