Manuel E. Yepe: Six Decades After the Rosenberg Executionss (June 2013)

Six Decades After the Rosenberg Executions
By Manuel E. Yepe

A CubaNews translation. Edited by Walter Lippmann.

60 years ago, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed in the electric chair. It was the first execution in the history of the United States of civilians accused of espionage.

They were charged with investigating and transferring information on U.S. nuclear development to the Soviet Union, a clear manipulation in the typical context of the McCarthy period in the United States.

The influence of the left had grown in the difficult times of the economic crisis of the nineteen thirties and during the war against fascism.

After the Second World War, the United States establishment was trying to make capitalism stronger and safer domestically, and to build a consensus of support for the United States. The U.S. had emerged as the power least affected economically by the war and with the best conditions for the development of an effective imperialist hegemony. The left was weakened and isolated, both globally and internally.

Although the Communist Party's members were probably less than one hundred thousand in the United States, that political organization was a powerful force in the unions -which then had millions of members- as well as among artistic and intellectual circles in general. A growing number of citizens affected by the failure of the capitalist system had taken a favorable attitude toward communism and socialism.

The strongly anti-Communist environment and the fear of an imminent confrontation with the Soviet Union fueled by McCarthyism in American society joined with imputations such as responsibility for the growing number of casualties suffered by the U.S. in the war Washington was waging against Korea.

The prosecution fabricated statements and evidence obtained from people harassed for their political beliefs or associations and not for alleged illegal activities, in exchange for reducing their sentences or other concessions.

Julius Rosenberg had been an activist in the Young Communist League and this was the main pretext for linking him with the Soviet Union. Today we know that Ethel was involved only because she refused to cooperate with the prosecutors by testifying against her husband, Julius. It was well-known that she had not actively participated in the alleged acts of espionage of which her husband had been accused.

Among the many irregularities in the trial was the fact that they were given the death sentence under the Espionage Act of 1917 for wartime; but at the time of the alleged espionage, the United States was not at war with the Soviet Union or any other nation.

The myth of the supposed "secret key to the atomic bomb" which Julius would have obtained and supplied to the Soviet Union was a total fallacy created by the prosecution as a pretext to justify the death penalty.

On the evening of Friday June 19, 1953, in the prison execution chamber at Sing Sing, the FBI maintained an open phone line with Washington, thinking that the couple would rather confess to espionage activities than be executed. But Julius and Ethel chose to affirm their innocence even if it had to be at the cost of the electric chair which claimed their lives.

The worldwide campaign of protest against the sentence included personalities such as Albert Einstein, Jean-Paul Sartre, Pablo Picasso, among other world-renown who called Presidents Truman and Eisenhower to prevent the crime; but all appeals were rejected.

At the last moment, a judge granted a stay of execution. But then another higher court overruled that act and sent special planes to bring back to Washington judges from different parts of the country who were on vacation so that the execution would be held on June 19, 1953.

It was an act of state terrorism because, while amidst the prevailing anti-Communist campaign, there were not many who identified with the Rosenbergs, the public would know what could happen to those whom the government considered "traitors" during the Cold War.

Shortly before being electrocuted, Ethel said: "I'm not alone, and I die with honor and dignity, knowing that my husband and I will be vindicated by history."

Their two children, ages 6 and 9 years, targets of McCarthyism hatred were threatened and expelled from their schools. Today both fight against the death penalty and for human rights in their country. The Rosenberg couple will forever be heroes of humanity.

June 2013.

		Six Decades After the Rosenberg Executions By Manuel E. Yepe A CubaNews translation. Edited by Walter Lippmann. 60 years ago, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed in the electric chair. It was the first execution in the history of the United States of civilians accused of espionage. They were charged with investigating and transferring information on U.S. nuclear development to the Soviet Union, a clear manipulation in the typical context of the McCarthy period in the United States. The influence of the left had grown in the difficult times of the economic crisis of the nineteen thirties and during the war against fascism. After the Second World War, the United States establishment was trying to make capitalism stronger and safer domestically, and to build a consensus of support for the United States. The U.S. had emerged as the power least affected economically by the war and with the best conditions for the development of an effective imperialist hegemony. The left was weakened and isolated, both globally and internally. Although the Communist Party's members were probably less than one hundred thousand in the United States, that political organization was a powerful force in the unions -which then had millions of members- as well as among artistic and intellectual circles in general. A growing number of citizens affected by the failure of the capitalist system had taken a favorable attitude toward communism and socialism. The strongly anti-Communist environment and the fear of an imminent confrontation with the Soviet Union fueled by McCarthyism in American society joined with imputations such as responsibility for the growing number of casualties suffered by the U.S. in the war Washington was waging against Korea. The prosecution fabricated statements and evidence obtained from people harassed for their political beliefs or associations and not for alleged illegal activities, in exchange for reducing their sentences or other concessions. Julius Rosenberg had been an activist in the Young Communist League and this was the main pretext for linking him with the Soviet Union. Today we know that Ethel was involved only because she refused to cooperate with the prosecutors by testifying against her husband, Julius. It was well-known that she had not actively participated in the alleged acts of espionage of which her husband had been accused. Among the many irregularities in the trial was the fact that they were given the death sentence under the Espionage Act of 1917 for wartime; but at the time of the alleged espionage, the United States was not at war with the Soviet Union or any other nation. The myth of the supposed "secret key to the atomic bomb" which Julius would have obtained and supplied to the Soviet Union was a total fallacy created by the prosecution as a pretext to justify the death penalty. On the evening of Friday June 19, 1953, in the prison execution chamber at Sing Sing, the FBI maintained an open phone line with Washington, thinking that the couple would rather confess to espionage activities than be executed. But Julius and Ethel chose to affirm their innocence even if it had to be at the cost of the electric chair which claimed their lives. The worldwide campaign of protest against the sentence included personalities such as Albert Einstein, Jean-Paul Sartre, Pablo Picasso, among other world-renown who called Presidents Truman and Eisenhower to prevent the crime; but all appeals were rejected. At the last moment, a judge granted a stay of execution. But then another higher court overruled that act and sent special planes to bring back to Washington judges from different parts of the country who were on vacation so that the execution would be held on June 19, 1953. It was an act of state terrorism because, while amidst the prevailing anti-Communist campaign, there were not many who identified with the Rosenbergs, the public would know what could happen to those whom the government considered "traitors" during the Cold War. Shortly before being electrocuted, Ethel said: "I'm not alone, and I die with honor and dignity, knowing that my husband and I will be vindicated by history." Their two children, ages 6 and 9 years, targets of McCarthyism hatred were threatened and expelled from their schools. Today both fight against the death penalty and for human rights in their country. The Rosenberg couple will forever be heroes of humanity. June 2013.
		A SEIS DÉCADAS DEL CRIMEN DE LOS ROSENBERG Por Manuel E. Yepe Hace 60 años fueron asesinados en silla eléctrica los esposos Ethel y Julius Rosenberg. Fue aquella la primera ejecución en la historia de Estados Unidos de civiles acusados de espionaje. Fueron culpados de indagar y transferir información sobre el desarrollo nuclear estadounidense a la Unión Soviética, una clara manipulación típica del contexto macartista de aquella época en Estados Unidos. La influencia de la izquierda había crecido en los difíciles tiempos de la crisis económica de los años treinta y durante la guerra contra el fascismo. Concluida la II Guerra Mundial, el establishment (o sea, el sistema estadounidense) se esforzaba por hacer más fuerte y seguro al capitalismo en el país y construir un consenso de apoyo para que Estados Unidos, que emergía como la potencia menos afectada económicamente por el conflicto bélico y con las mejores condiciones para el desarrollo imperialista, asumiera la hegemonía efectiva en el plantea. Para ello trataba de debilitar a la izquierda y aislarla, tanto globalmente como en lo interno. Aunque los militantes del partido comunista probablemente eran menos de cien mil en los Estados Unidos, esa organización política constituía una fuerza poderosa en los sindicatos -que entonces reunían millones de miembros-, así como entre los artistas artes y la intelectualidad en general. Un crecido número ciudadanos afectados por el fracaso del sistema capitalista había asumido una actitud favorable al comunismo y el socialismo. Al fuerte ambiente anticomunista y el miedo a un inminente enfrentamiento con la Unión Soviética estimulado por el macartismo en la sociedad estadounidense se unieron imputaciones tales como imputaciones de responsabilidad por el crecido número de bajas sufridas por Estados Unidos en la guerra que Washington libraba contra Corea. Se fabricaron por la Fiscalía testimonios y pruebas obtenidas de personas acosadas por sus creencias políticas o asociaciones y no por presuntas actividades ilegales, a cambio de rebajarles sus condenas u otras concesiones. Julius Rosenberg, había sido activista de la Liga de Jóvenes Comunistas y este fue el principal pretexto para vincularlo con la Unión Soviética. Hoy se conoce que Ethel fue apresada solo porque se negó a cooperar con la fiscalía testificando contra Julius, a sabiendas de que ella no había participado activamente en los supuestos actos de espionaje de que era acusado su esposo. Entre las muchas irregularidades del juicio estuvo la de que la condena a pena de muerte que les fue impuesta era la prevista en el Acta de Espionaje de 1917 para tiempo de guerra pese a que, al momento del supuesto espionaje, Estados Unidos no estaba en guerra con la Unión Soviética ni con ninguna otra nación. El mito de la supuesta “clave secreta de la bomba atómica” que Julius habría obtenido y facilitado a la Unión Soviética era una falacia total creada por la Fiscalía como estrategia para justificar la pena de muerte. En la noche del viernes 19 de junio de 1953, en la sala de ejecución del penal de Sing Sing, el FBI mantuvo abierta una línea telefónica con Washington con la pretensión de que el matrimonio prefiriera confesar actividades de espionaje a ser ejecutados. Pero Julius y Ethel optaron por ratificar su inocencia aunque tuviera que ser al costo de la silla eléctrica que segó sus vidas. La campaña mundial de protesta contra la condena incluyó a personalidades como Albert Einstein, Jean-Paul Sartre, Pablo Picasso, entre otros de gran prestigio mundial que llamaron a los presidentes Truman y Eisenhower a evitar el crimen, pero todas las apelaciones fueron rechazadas. En el último momento, un juez concedió un aplazamiento de la ejecución. Pero enseguida otra instancia superior canceló ese acto y ordenó el envío de aviones especiales para traer de regreso a Washington a los jueces desde diversas partes del país donde vacacionaban a fin de que la ejecución se realizara el 19 de junio de 1953. Fue un acto terrorista de Estado porque, si bien en medio de la campaña anticomunista imperante no eran muchos los que se identificaban con el matrimonio Rosenberg, la ciudadanía sabría a que tendrían que atenerse aquellos que el Gobierno considerara “traidores” en la Guerra Fría. Poco antes de ser electrocutada, Ethel declaró: "No estoy sola, y muero con honor y dignidad, sabiendo que mi esposo y yo seremos reivindicados por la historia". Sus dos pequeños hijos, de 6 y 9 años, blancos del odio del macartista, fueron amenazados y expulsados de sus escuelas. Hoy ambos luchan contra la pena de muerte y por los derechos humanos en su país. Los esposos Rosemberg serán por siempre, héroes de la Humanidad. Junio de 2013.