The Rosenbergs, Ethel and Julius, were an American couple withstrong Communist leanings who were charged with espionage forpassing atomic bomb secrets to the Soviet Union duri
…ng the ColdWar. At the height of the so-called Red Scare, the trial of theRosenbergs polarized political and judicial opinion in the US. Theywere tried and convicted in 1951. The Rosenbergs were either unableor unwilling to reveal details of the spying operations by theUSSR. The sentence, death by electrocution, was carried out on June19, 1953. Their case continued to raise legal and moral questionsmore than 50 years later. (see related link) Spying for the Soviets The Rosenbergs were convicted for supplying the USSR with detailsof the Manhattan Project, on which Ethel's brother (DavidGreenglass) had worked. Julius had been recruited by the KGB duringWorld War 2, giving this and other classified information to hisRussian case officer, Alexander Feklisov. When the spy ring wasexposed in 1950, the Rosenbergs and others were arrested andcharged with espionage. Ethel Rosenberg was implicated mainly onthe basis of her husband's activities, and Julius by hisconnections to Soviet agents. The couple's connection to Communismwas one of the driving forces in their prosecution. (MORE) 
