randomWalks

"This death sentence is not surprising. It had to be. There had to be a Rosenberg case because there had to be an intensification of the hysteria in America to make the Korean War acceptable to the American people. There had to be hysteria and a fear sent through America in order to get increased war budgets. And there had to be a dagger thrust in the heart of the left to tell them that you are no longer gonna give five years for a Smith Act prosecution or one year for Contempt of Court, but we’re gonna kill ya!" --Julius Rosenberg in a letter to their lawyer Manny Bloch

History will record that we were victims of the most monstrous frame-up of our country.
— Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, June 1953.

This evening--sometime around 8:45 PM--marks the 50th anniversary of the executions of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, American Communists and alleged atomic spies. The hysteria surrounding their trial and execution helped mark the era of McCarthyism. Replace anti-Communism with racism against Muslims and Arabs and calls to quell dissent. Substitute McCarthyism and the McCarran Internal Security Act for PATRIOT I and Ashcroft wet dream PATRIOT II. That's why the story of the era and the trial remains relevant.

• Alternet and Boston Globe interviews with Robert Meerepol, the Rosenbergs' son.


• BBC Coverage of the 50th anniversary.


• Story about tonight's festivities in New York.


• Lyrics from an unreleased Bob Dylan track, "Julius and Ethel", and links to other resources.


• Can the Rosenberg Case be Reopened? with a link to a 2001 BBC story where key witness David Greenglass admitted that he was pressured to lie during the trial.


• Socialist Worker Story about the trial and aftermath.


• Wikipedia entry on the Rosenbergs.


• World Socialist Web Site analysis of the case.


• A 1999 Nation piece on Venona.


• The FBI and CIA files released by the government in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act.


• Sobell on Vonona and the Rosenbergs.

originally posted by zagg