A Spy Among Us Essay Research Paper

A Spy Among Us Essay, Research Paper In 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of go throughing information to the Union of Soviet Socialist Democracies ( USSR ) refering the building of atomic arms. In 1953, the United States Government executed them. Some say, the Rosenbergs received their merely penalty. Many historiographers feel that the test was unjust, and that international claims for mildness were wrongly ignored. These historiographers claim that the Rosenbergs were assassinated by the US authorities. This study will be an analysis of the test, the events which led up to it, and its wake. What Led to the Arrest? The first hint America had that a Russian undercover agent pealing existed in the US was the find of a KGB codebook on the Finnish battleground during World War II. When compared with Germany # 8217 ; s machine-scrambled codifications, the codification appeared to be comparatively crude ; a certain set of Numberss corresponded to a word, missive, or indispensable phrase. There was a small gimmick though ; the codebook was to be read with a matching page that every KGB officer was given. Because the American cyphers did non hold the matching page, there were an infinite figure of possibilities that could hold corresponded to the book, doing decoding it impossible. ( Milton 7 ) Klaus Fuchs In 1944, the FBI raided the New York offices of the Soviet Government Purchasing Commission, a known forepart for the KGB industrial espionage operations. When the FBI began to travel through what they had taken, they found that many KGB officers did non adhere to their orders diligently. They were told to dispose of all their# 8220 ; matching sheets. # 8221 ; Many memos and other letters were heedlessly stored off, alternatively of being destroyed after their usage. After much perusal of all the confiscated letters of the KGB, including the new sheets, the cyphers were now able to clarify some of the codebook they had found before. In 1949, a study by Klaus Fuchs was deciphered. This was America # 8217 ; s first solid grounds that there was a spy ring operating within the US. boundary lines. The American governments had some uncertainties, nevertheless. It was possible that Fuchs was non a undercover agent and somehow the KGB had obtained his study. After much probe, the FBI arrested Fuchs. Along with other grounds, a missive deciphered by the FBI had a mention to a British atomic undercover agent, whose sister was go toing an American University. Fuchs sister, Kristel, had been a pupil at Swarthmore College at that clip. The FBI appointed James Skardon to confront Fuchs. Skardon was a celebrated spy-catcher, who had obtained confessions from many, including the treasonist William Joyce. On December 21 1949, Skardon went to speak with Fuchs in his research lab at the Harwell Atomic Research Establishment. To Skardon # 8217 ; s surprise, Fuchs was eager to speak. Apparently, Fuchs wanted to speak because he was really disquieted with the Soviet Union # 8217 ; s postwar policy in Eastern Europe. He did non state everything, but it was a start. After many meetings, Skardon was able to acquire Fuchs to unwrap even more. Fuchs thought that if he owned up to his yesteryear, it would be forgotten, or at least forgiven. He was incorrect. Fuchs said, # 8220 ; At first I thought that all I would make was inform the Russian governments that work on the atomic bomb was traveling on? I did what I consider the worst that I could hold done, viz. to give information about the rule of the design of the Pu bomb. # 8221 ; The FBI subsequently found out from Fuchs that his contact was # 8220 ; Raymond. # 8221 ; They had merely met a smattering of times and Fuchs did non cognize much about him. On March 1, 1950, Fuchs was put on test. After a test that lasted merely an hr and a half, he was convicted of four histories of espionage and sentenced to 14 old ages in gaol. The ground he was non killed was that he gave secrets to an ally. If he had given the same information to an enemy, he would hold been condemned to decease. ( This contrasts with the current US intervention of Jonathan Pollard # 8211 ; another undercover agent on behalf of a US ally, Israel. ) The FBI now had the first nexus in the concatenation ; the following measure was happening Raymond. ( Eisenhower 223 ) Fuchs, in 1945, had been transferred to the theoretical division of the chief Manhattan Undertaking installing at Los Alamos, New Mexico. Fuchs so left, without stating his Soviet control that he was go forthing. After Fuchs missed two meetings, Raymond grew really troubled, so he went to his Soviet head, Anatoli Yakovlev, at the Soviet consulate staff in New York. Yakovlev went through Fuchs # 8217 ; portfolio and found his sister # 8217 ; s reference. He so told Raymond to travel visit Fuchs sister, Kristal, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Raymond moving as an old friend of Fuchs inquired as to his well being. Upon her stating him that he had moved # 8220 ; someplace down south, # 8221 ; he left his telephone figure. When Fuchs came place for a holiday with his sister, she called Raymond. Raymond instantly resumed their secret meetings. When the FBI was seeking for # 8220 ; Raymond # 8221 ; , they asked Fuchs and Kristal for descriptions. The FBI, with their two descriptions from the Fuchs, researched into their ain files and produced a suspect: Joseph Arnold Robbins, a leftist chemical applied scientist who graduated from CCNY in 1941. After a background hunt on him, the FBI rejected him as a informant. After more intense probe, two other suspects were suggested, Abraham Brothmon and Harry Gold. The FBI thought Gold was a stronger suspect for multiple grounds, so, on May 9, Hoover ordered a manhunt to happen Gold. On May 23 1950, Gold was arrested in Philadelphia. The importance the FBI attached to the gaining control of Fuch # 8217 ; s confederate was indicated by J. Edgar Hoover, # 8220 ; In all the history of the FBI there neer was a more of import job than this one, neer another instance where we felt under such force per unit area. The unknown adult male merely had to be found. # 8221 ; The force per unit area that Hoover was mentioning to is unknown, but months merely prior to Gold # 8217 ; s arrest the FBI was criticized for allegedly botching probes in the Redin, Amerasia, Eisler, and Coplon instances. ( Milton 38 ) Harry Gold In 1915, Tom Black, an old friend, offered Gold a occupation in the Manufacturing Company in New Jersey. Gold instantly took the occupation. After working at that place for a small piece, Black began to take Gold to Communist meetings. Gradually, Gold became a committed Soviet and when Black asked him ( in 1935 ) to assist the Soviets and give them some information, Gold thirstily agreed. Although, Gold was non pro-Communist, he was pro-Soviet. The ground Gold liked the Soviets so much was because he thought they were benevolent towards the Hebrews. Sam Semenov, Gold # 8217 ; s Soviet contact, suggested that he do his ain contacts that had entree to more information than he did. After working for the Soviets for eight old ages, Semenov told Gold to interrupt all ties with his former contacts. Gold was given new contacts, # 8220 ; a group of American scientists in New York. # 8221 ; This was considered a publicity, for Gold was assigned a contact who had entree to a batch more information. This new individual was Klaus Fuchs. After four old ages of working with Fuchs, Gold stopped working for the Soviets and began to take a normal life, cutting all ties he had with his contacts and the Soviets. A twosome of months subsequently, one of Gold # 8217 ; s contacts, Abraham Brothmon called Gold franticly stating the FBI questioned him and they were onto them. Days subsequently, the FBI interrogated Gold. At first, Gold claimed the same narrative as Brothmon, but after highly long questions Gold was worn down, and by chance slipped, and the FBI began to catch the incompatibilities in Gold # 8217 ; s narrative. The following hebdomad, they searched his house. In the center of the hunt, Gold admitted to being the adult male to whom Klaus Fuchs passed the information on atomic energy. Despite Gold # 8217 ; s efforts, after an wash uping hebdomad of question, Gold slipped and mentioned old contact # 8217 ; s and friend # 8217 ; s names, including his friend Tom Black and David Greenglass. ( Allen 41 ) David A ; Ethel Greenglass David Greenglass was an American solider assigned as a technician at Los Alamos. For $ 500 he gave Gold studies of the system used to concentrate high explosive force per unit area moving ridges that drove together packages of U and produced the concatenation the concatenation reaction of atomic fission-the detonation of the atomic bomb. David Greenglass # 8217 ; sister was Ethel Greenglass, subsequently to be Ethel Rosenberg. The Greenglass # 8217 ; s grew up in New York # 8217 ; s Lower East Side, in a little cramped flat. Ethel was superb. She graduated at age 15 from Seward Park High School. Even in the hapless economic system of that period, when there was an utmost demand for occupations, she was able to happen work within a month of having her sheepskin, at age 15. She was fired four old ages subsequently when she organized a work stoppage of 150 adult females who put down in the street barricading all the company # 8217 ; s bringing trucks. Ethel so filed a ailment with the National Labor Relations Board, which she won. She succeeded at happening a better occupation, for twice the wage of her old 1. Ethel was known as a # 8220 ; go-getter # 8221 ; ; she did non halt until she was satisfied. With some preparation, Ethel started to sing in choirs and act in dramas in the eventides. One eventide, before Ethel went on phase, she met the one and merely love of her life, Julius Rosenberg. ( Milton 50 ) Julius Rosenberg Julius # 8217 ; background was similar to Ehtel # 8217 ; s ; he grew up on New York # 8217 ; s East Side. He went to the same schools as Ethel, Talmud Torah for in-between school, and Seward Park for high school. Julius neer had to worry about money, and his father wanted him to foster his spiritual propensities and go a rabbi. In Julius # 8217 ; senior twelvemonth, he grew more interested in political relations and less interested in faith. After Julius graduated from Seward, he went to the City College of New York, where he majored in electrical technology. This major was favored by politically cognizant pupils because it entitled them to rank in the Federation of Architects, Engineers, Chemists and Technicians ( FAECT ) , a activist brotherhood for white collar professionals with a pro-Communist leading. Julius shortly became a member in the Steinmentz Club, a subdivision of the Young Communist League, or YCL. Soon Julius became so involved in political relations that his graduation was in hazard. At this clip, Julius and Ethel were going really serious about each other and Ethel made Julius come over to her house to survey so that he would finally have his sheepskin. Because Julius spent so much clip in Ethel # 8217 ; s house, David ( Ethel # 8217 ; s brother ) became really friendly with Julius. Julius kindled David # 8217 ; s involvement in political relations, converting him to fall in the YCL. ( Allen 45 ) Julius and Ethel were married in 1939. After fighting for a few old ages with no significant occupation, Julius was hired as a civilian employee of the U.S. Army Signal Corps in the autumn of 1942. In 1942, David married Ruth Printz. In 1943, the Greenglasses joined the YCL, and the Rosenbergs were full members of the Communist Party. Julius was president of Branch 16B of the Party Industrial Division and frequently held meetings in his house. Party members were promoting everybody to make everything they could to back up the wartime attempt. When David was admitted to the American ground forces, he looked frontward to assisting the Communist cause in any manner he could. Julius, nevertheless, was physically unfit for the ground forces, so he looked for other ways to assist his party. ( Milton 70 ) Harmonizing to Ruth Greenglass # 8217 ; testimony, Julius and Ethel dropped out of the Communist party in 1943 to take their ain # 8220 ; inaugural # 8221 ; in assisting their party. She claims that Julius told her that he began to organize contacts to assist him come in a new sort of activity. David subsequently claimed that Julius approached him about the topic of espionage. Even without David Greenglass # 8217 ; testimony, one can understand why the Rosenbergs dropped out of the party. Ethel had her first kid in early 1943, and Julius was working for the authorities, so he was afraid he would lose his occupation if his Communist associations were discovered. ( Eisenhower 224 ) In the beginning of 1945, Julius was dismissed from his occupation. Sometime before this, the FBI had sent to the U.S. Army Intelligence a transcript of a Communist Party rank card demoing that in 1939, Julius had been involved in the Party. The Army felt this was non sufficient grounds to disregard Julius because there was no ground for them to presume it was the same Julius Rosenberg who was their Signal Corps employee. In the autumn of 1944, the FBI sent the Army more information on Rosenberg, including his reference. This clip the grounds sufficed and Julius was dismissed. ( Milton 83 ) On July 17, 1950, David told the FBI that Julius was speaking freely about his # 8220 ; secret work # 8221 ; in order to do David more comfy assisting him. Julius confided in David that the first move he made in espionage was while he was working as a signal corps inspector. Julius told David that he knew that Soviet wirelesss and electronics were floundering ( Dav Idaho realized that Julius was speaking about their radio detection and ranging engineering ) and had tried to assist the Soviets by picking up transcripts of tubing manuals. David said that Julius bragged to him many times about the web of contacts he had built in Cleveland, Ohio, and upstate New York, and about information about certain top secret arms. ( Milton 84 ) On July 16, 1950, two uniformed constabularies officers, William Norton and John Harrington, came to Julius # 8217 ; flat and took him down for oppugning. Julius remained really unagitated while being interrogated but refused to let his flat to be checked without a warrant. When Julius was taken to the base, Harrington asked him,# 8220 ; What would you state if we told you that your brother-in-law said you asked him to provide information to the Russians? # 8221 ; Julius responded aggressively, # 8220 ; Bring him here, and I will name him a prevaricator to his face. # 8221 ; ( Sharlitt 3 ) Soon after being taken to the station, Julius asked to name his attorney. When Victor Rabinowitz answered the telephone, his first inquiry was, was he under apprehension. When they told Julius that he had non been arrested, he instantly stood up and walked out of the station. When Julius left the station, he saw the newspapers shouting that Greenglass had been arrested that twenty-four hours and was being held on $ 100,000 bond. From the station, Julius went directly to Rabinowitz. Rosenberg wanted the FAECT advocate to stand for him, but because Rabinowitz had late defended the alleged undercover agent Judith Coplon, he felt his engagement would be detrimental for Rosenberg # 8217 ; s instance, so he gave Rosenberg another attorney, Emanuel Hirsch Bloch. Bloch was a really high attorney ; he was a member in National Lawyer # 8217 ; s Guild and the Civil Rights Congress. He served on the defence squad of Willie McGee and was besides functioning as one of the three CRC lawyers assigned to the instance of the Trenton Six. Bloch was besides good known for his representation of Steve Nelson, a leader of the Communist Party in Pittsburgh. The existent ground though, that Rabinowitz appointed Bloch, was that Bloch was a good friend of O. John Rogge and shared an office edifice with him. Rogge was Greenglass # 8217 ; lawyer and Rabinowitz wanted to remain good informed of Greenglass # 8217 ; state of affairs, and if possible, prevent him from going a authorities informant. ( Sharlitt 6 ) The first clip Bloch met Rosenberg he thought this would be a simple unfastened and unopen instance. He thought that if Rosenberg would react to all inquiries with the Fifth Amendment, so the prosecution # 8217 ; s instance would go a batch weaker. He missed some obvious intimations though, that would hold led him to believe otherwise. For illustration, Greenglass was nicknamed by the media as the# 8220 ; atom-spy. # 8221 ; ( Sharlitt 6 ) After being released, Julius continued his normal modus operandi while the FBI conducted what they call a # 8220 ; discreet surveillance. # 8221 ; Agents Norton and Harrington were for good assigned to Rosenberg # 8217 ; s instance. Without David Greenglass spread outing on his accusals from June 15-16, they could non warrant collaring him. There are different theories as to why Julius did non prehend the opportunity to fly the FBI. One theory is that he did non believe that David would interrupt down so far as to reference even his ain household. Another theory is that it would hold taken hebdomads to alarm some of his contacts without taking the FBI to them. ( Meerpool 37 ) On July 12, Greenglass, with the goad of his attorneies, had his 2nd extradition hearing. This led the media to believe that Greenglass was tilting towards pleading guilty. Harmonizing to Ruth, David # 8217 ; s married woman, Ethel visited her to happen out what David # 8217 ; s programs were and if he was traveling to indict her hubby, Julius. ( Meerpool 42 ) The FBI, after Greenglass made his statements, went to James McInerney of the Justice Department, who agreed there was now plenty grounds to bear down Julius Rosenberg with confederacy to commit espionage. When Richard Whelan, helper particular agent in charge of the New York office, heard McInerney # 8217 ; s opinion, he sent Norton to register a ailment before federal justice John F. X. McGohey. Immediately after J. Edgar Hoover heard that Whelan tried to detain the apprehension, he grew infuriated. He suspected the ground for the hold was in order to tip off the imperativeness so that the narrative would be covered in the following twenty-four hours # 8217 ; s documents. Hoover feared that when the imperativeness found out, Rosenberg might be tipped-off and flee at the last 2nd. ( Milton 92 ) On Tuesday, July 17, 1950, when Rosenberg was arrested, it was in full position of his appalled household ; his two boies standing agape, watching their male parent dragged out by two officers. Julius and Ethel until the acrimonious terminal maintained their artlessness. They neer pleaded guilty nor even considered it. The FBI, after seeking Julius # 8217 ; house, had grounds that the espionage pealing that Greenglass talked about was true. In order to force Rosenberg to unwrap names of other undercover agents, Hoover suggetsed that Ethel be arrested, and be used as purchase to coerce Julius to speak. ( Mitlon 93 ) Ethel Rosenberg On August 11, Ethel Rosenberg was arrested and bond was set at $ 100,000-the same immense sum as her hubby. Ethel # 8217 ; s attorney was Bloch # 8217 ; s male parent, Alexander Bloch. The ground for this was that when she was arrested, Manny Bloch was non in the office, but his male parent was, so he rushed down to the station to assist Ethel and so subsequently took her instance. The Rosenberg kids were sent to Tessie Greenglass, who really shortly complained to the tribunal she could non command them and more significantly, could non afford them. The tribunal sent them to the Hebrew Children # 8217 ; s Home in the Bronx. Most believe that the FBI arrested Ethel in order to force her hubby into squealing. Others disagree and state that Greenglass # 8217 ; accusals proved true, and it is possible that Ethel was a full spouse in her hubby # 8217 ; s behaviors and she was arrested strictly on her misbehaviors. ( Sharlitt 42 ) The Test On March 6, 1951, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg # 8217 ; s test began. Their instance attracted so much attending because this was the most publicised undercover agent Hunt of all clip. Another ground this instance received so much attending was that it contained all the elements of a high play test. The instance had a household feud already familiar to the populace, because the Judaic Daily Forward had published a series of articles on the Greenglasses. The test besides involved suspects who steadfastly claimed their artlessness, and the possibility of high atomic scientists attesting. ( Milton 98 ) United states Attorney Irving Saypool was prosecuting the instance. Saypool had made a really good repute for himself when he prosecuted Communists, including Alger Hiss and the eleven Smith Act suspects. From the oncoming of the test, Saypool treated the suspects without the accustomed tribunal properness. Irving R. Kaufman, the justice, chose the jurymans himself in a twenty-four hours and a half. Kaufman read a list of many parties, organisations, and nines and anybody affiliated with any of them were excused. Then they were asked if they were opposed to the decease punishment, the usage of atomic-weapons in war, or felt that any information refering the development of atomic energy should be revealed to any Russian orbiter state. If they were, they were excused. ( Burkholz 73 ) In Saypool # 8217 ; s gap words, he stated, # 8220 ; The trueness and the commitment of the Rosenbergs were non to the state but to Communism, Communism in this state and throughout the world. # 8221 ; Emanuel Bloch instantly objected that Saypool # 8217 ; s allusion to communism was irrelevant because communism was non on test. Kaufman said that communism would be allowed in the test because it established motor. Saypool besides said that they convinced David Greenglass to go a treasonist to his state, # 8220 ; a modern Benedict Arnorld. # 8221 ; After Saypool # 8217 ; s really powerful gap statement, the populace began to speak about capital penalty. ( Burkholz 75 ) It is about impossible to convict person of lese majesty. It was such a serious offense that the criterions of cogent evidence are really rigorous. On the other manus, it is easy to acquire a strong belief for confederacy ; it is even sometimes umpire to as the # 8220 ; prosecuting officer # 8217 ; s friend. # 8221 ; Hearsay testimony is admissible in test, and one time the being of confederacy is established every plotter may be held apt for the Acts of the Apostless of the others, even if he does non hold any cognition of them. In add-on, in order to be convicted, merely the confederacy had to be proven. ( Meerpool 176 ) The prosecution brought several really damaging informants against the defence: Julius Rosenberg # 8217 ; s brother-in-law, David Greenglass, and his married woman Ruth Printz Greenglass. Greenglass testified that he passed to his sister and brother-in-law studies of the implosion lens, a critical constituent of the Pu bomb. David Greenglass # 8217 ; s narrative was corroborated by his married woman and another undercover agent, Harry Gold. Gold testified that he received information from David Greenglass, and that he passed them on to the Rosenbergs. These testimonies showed clearly that there was a program to descry and to go through secrets. ( Milton 103 ) Soap Elicher testified about a 2nd undercover agent pealing which Julius Rosenberg headed. The 2nd ring was formed to unwrap to the Soviets naval secrets refering to communications instruments. He testified that Julius Rosenberg recruited him to descry. Cipher knew about the two confederacies except for Rosenberg ; he was the lone connexion between the two. Although Elicher did non state what information he gave to Rosenberg, it connected Julius Rosenberg to two spy rings. None of Elicher # 8217 ; s testimony was refuted except by Rosenberg # 8217 ; s denials. ( Milton 104 ) After a 14 twenty-four hours test, there was no grounds turn outing the Rosenberg # 8217 ; s artlessness so the jury decided to believe David Greenglass # 8217 ; , Harry Gold # 8217 ; s, and Max Elicher # 8217 ; s testimonies. The prosecuting officers asked the Rosenbergs many inquiries about their engagement in the Communist Party in order to set up motivation. They answered most of the inquiries with the Fifth Amendment so that their replies would non imply them. This led many people, including the jurymans, to experience really strongly about their guilt. Many argue that the Rosenbergs were framed and that they were the perfect people to be framed because of their engagement in the Communist Party. There are a few inquiries as to why Emanuel Bloch did certain things in the test. For illustration, he did non cross-examine Harry Gold. ( Sharlitt 17 ) For collaborating with the prosecution, Greenglass # 8217 ; sentence was for 15 old ages of imprisonment, Gold # 8217 ; s for 30 and Fuch # 8217 ; s for merely 14. The Rosenbergs pled non guilty. In March 1951, they became the first Americans to be sentenced to decease on a charge of espionage in peacetime. ( Milton 103 ) Doubts on the Trial Some historiographers say that the authorities framed the Rosenbergs, and was taking for capital penalty. First, they were non charged with espionage, instead they were charged and convicted of confederacy to descry. This was to the authorities # 8217 ; s advantage because, as explained antecedently, much less cogent evidence is necessary for a strong belief for confederacy. A 2nd ground that historians think that the authorities was out to kill the Rosenbergs was because Saypool, Lane, Cohn, and Kilsheimer were all assigned to the instance. This showed the authorities # 8217 ; s strong and particular involvement in the instance. In drumhead, the charge against the Rosenbergs, the powerful prosecution, the well-known anti-Communist prosecuting officers and the justice, all support that the authorities # 8217 ; s aim was to kill the Rosenbergs. ( Sharlitt 23 ) The ground many people call the Rosenberg # 8217 ; s executings a legal and fatal mistake is simple. On June 19, 1953, the federal authorities executed the Rosenbergs. The Rosenbergs were charged, tried, and convicted under the Espionage Act of 1917. In 1946, the Atomic Energy Act was passed. It required that undercover agents who passed atomic secrets be executed merely after a jury # 8217 ; s recommendations. From the twenty-four hours the Rosenbergs were indicted to three yearss before their executing, this act was ignored. Amazingly, cipher realized, including the prosecuting officers, suspects, or any Judgess, that this was being ignored. A attorney from the West Coast raised the issue that suggested to person that the Rosenbergs were being wrongly executed. Even after the issue was raised, the Supreme Court ignored it and the Rosenbergs were executed anyhow. Still today, there is an on-going and acrimonious contention as to why the Rosenbergs were put to decease. ( Sharlitt 27 ) Bibliography Allen, Thomas, and Norman Polmar. Merchants of Treason. New York: Delacorte Imperativeness, 1988. Burkholz, Herbert, and Clifford Irving. Spy The Story of Modern Espionage. New York: Macmillan Printing Company, 1969. Eisenhower, Dwight. Mandate For Change. Garden City: Doubleday A ; Company, Inc. , 1963. Milton, Joyce, and Ronald Rodash. The Rosenberg File. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997. Meeropol, Michael, and Robert Meeropol. We Are Your Sons. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1975. Sharlitt, Joseph. Fatal Error. New York: Macmillan Printing Company, 1989.