Ethel and Julius Rosenberg

Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg (September 28, 1915 ? June 19, 1953) and Julius Rosenberg (May 12, 1918 ? June 19, 1953) were American Communists who were thrust into the world spotlight when they were tried, convicted, and executed for spying for the Soviet Union. The accuracy of these charges remains controversial, though decades later, Soviet communications decrypted by the VENONA project became publicly available and appeared to indicate that at least Julius Rosenberg was actively involved in espionage (although they provided no new evidence that he performed the specific acts of espionage for which he was convicted). Specifically, the couple were charged with conspiracy to commit espionage and were accused of passing nuclear weapons secrets to Russian agents.

See also

• Soviet atomic bomb project.
• Tony Kushner's play Angels in America features a fictionalized version of Ethel Rosenberg, played by Meryl Streep in the HBO version.
• The case is thought to have spurred Lee Harvey Oswald's interest in Marxism. http://www.jfk-online.com/jfk100wholho.html
• The Book of Daniel, a 1971 novel by E. L. Doctorow, is loosely based on the Rosenberg case.