[backhoe]

The Rosenberg Case- Spies, Scapegoats, or something inbetween?

-The Old Grey Info-Slut... the NYT/Jayson Blair Affair--

[UbIwerks]

This link explains the game of chicken the Rosenbergs played with the government. The Government would not back down. If Julius Rosenberg only confessed his part, he would've only served ten years because, as the link explains, that would be how the life sentence worked out. Retrying the Rosenbergs

[Pharmboy]

Thanks for filling in with this encyclopedic source for the treasonous couple...

[tlb]

Returning to the subject of the Rosenbergs, several years ago on either the History or Discovery channels there was a documentary ( BBC ? ) where the Rosenbergs Soviet handler was interviewed. He affirmed both Julius and Ethel were part of his organization but that Julius was the more active participant. Ethel was more or less his assistant and auxilary.

He maintained that their imvolvement in atomic espionage was peripheral and of little real importance as the Los Alamos facility was already thoroughly compromised. The most important coup Julius delivered to the USSR was the design of a radar proximity fuse for anti aircraft shells.

A little nugget in that interview I never saw referened elsewhere was that their main agent in Los Alamos was never caught. He refused to name the agent. I inferred he meant Oppenheimer but who really can say yet.