April 5 1951
A significant event throughout the history of the Cold War that occurred in April is the sentencing of the Rosenbergs. In the most sensational spy trial in American history, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were sentenced to death, convicted of playing a central role in a spy ring that passed secret data concerning the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. Their role in espionage came to light in a chain of arrests that started with British physicist Klaus Fuchs who was arrested in 1950. He was questioned and his implications eventually led to David Greenglass who pointed the finger at his sister and brother-in-law, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Greenglass later told New York Times journalist Sam Roberts, that he had entered into a deal with the US government, implicating his sister, Ethel, in exchange for his wife's immunity.
After a brief trial in March 1951, they were found guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage, although the couple proclaimed their innocence. The Rosenbergs and their attorneys continued to argue that they were "victims of political hysteria". Humanitarian organisations in the United States and around the world pleaded for leniency, particularly since they were the parents of two young children. The pleas for special consideration were ignored. At their sentencing hearing on April 5 1951, Federal judge Irving R. Kaufman described their crime as "worse than murder" and stated "By your betrayal you undoubtedly have altered the course of history to the disadvantage of our country." He then sentenced them to death and they were executed on June 19 1953 making them the only spies executed during the Cold War. Whether they were guilty or not has been in dispute for more than half a century.
Want to find out more about why the Rosenbergs were executed? Click here for more information, or here for more about espionage in the Cold War.
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