But, as you write, "Technically they were executed for atomic espionage."
It seems to me that like the author of the article below states, they were convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage. It just makes the whole execution scene that much more repugnant. Anyway, thanks again for your detailed reply. The truth came out in the end, I suppose. Still, executing them was really, one of the crueler acts of psy-war I think that the capitalist government of the United States has been party to.
Best, Mike B)
P.S. I added the * around the word, "conspiracy" below: ********************************************************************
Such was the fate of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, arrested in the summer of 1950 and charged with *conspiracy* to commit espionage. After a month-long trial in March 1951 and a single day of deliberation, a jury of 11 men and one woman found the pair guilty. On April 5, Federal Judge Irving Kaufman sentenced the Rosenbergs to death. Their co-defendant, Morton Sobell, (also charged with *conspiracy*) was sentenced to a 30-year prison term. Kaufman set the execution date for the week of June 21, 1951.
Because the charge was *conspiracy*, prosecutors were not required to provide tangible evidence that the Rosenbergs had stolen anything or given anything to anybody. The government fought to have the case tried in a federal court where a *conspiracy* charge could be proven by the non-corroborated testimony of a single witness. Most states, including New York, would have required testimony from at least two witnesses not involved in the alleged conspiracy, to obtain a conviction.
full: http://www.cpa.org.au/garchve03/1142rosenburgs.html
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