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Executing the Rosenbergs: Death and Diplomacy in a Cold War World
In New York in 1950, FBI agents arrested Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for conspiracy to commit espionage, an affair FBI J. Edgar Hoover labeled the "crime of the century." After three years of appeals they were executed, making them the only American civilians put to death for conspiracy to commit espionage and turning their two sons into orphans. The Harry Truman administration charged the couple based on the assumptions that the Rosenbergs need to be held accountable for giving atomic bomb technology to the Soviets.
The Rosenberg case tested the limits of the federal government's new Cold War propaganda apparatus. Both the Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower administrations struggled to sell the guilt of the two spies and use the case to sell democracy and freedom overseas. However, citizens around the world did not always agree with the United States' execution of the Rosenbergs, which diminished the standing of the country in the eyes of the world, particularly so soon after the death of Stalin and the removal of the face of evil global Communism.
In this first book, Lori Clune uses newly discovered State Department documents to demonstrate dissent to the Rosenberg decision from 80 cities in 48 countries in the early 1950s. American diplomats overseas observed and reported protests, petitions, letters of support, and newspaper editorials back to the State Department, along with policy recommendations. This project tells a new narrative of the Rosenbergs by transcending questions of guilt and innocence, adding a transnational component to the story and weaving the case into the Korean War, the death of Stalin, and the Cold War more broadly. While the Rosenbergs have been the subject of endless debate and discussion for half a century, this book offers an original approach to the topic, one that will no doubt add fodder to the politically passionate and provide a significant case study for those interested in the US relationship with the world.
The Rosenberg case tested the limits of the federal government's new Cold War propaganda apparatus. Both the Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower administrations struggled to sell the guilt of the two spies and use the case to sell democracy and freedom overseas. However, citizens around the world did not always agree with the United States' execution of the Rosenbergs, which diminished the standing of the country in the eyes of the world, particularly so soon after the death of Stalin and the removal of the face of evil global Communism.
In this first book, Lori Clune uses newly discovered State Department documents to demonstrate dissent to the Rosenberg decision from 80 cities in 48 countries in the early 1950s. American diplomats overseas observed and reported protests, petitions, letters of support, and newspaper editorials back to the State Department, along with policy recommendations. This project tells a new narrative of the Rosenbergs by transcending questions of guilt and innocence, adding a transnational component to the story and weaving the case into the Korean War, the death of Stalin, and the Cold War more broadly. While the Rosenbergs have been the subject of endless debate and discussion for half a century, this book offers an original approach to the topic, one that will no doubt add fodder to the politically passionate and provide a significant case study for those interested in the US relationship with the world.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2016
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April 30, 2018
In 1950 Ethel and Alfred Rosenberg were found guilty of passing atomic secrets to the Soviets and sentenced to death. Three years later they were executed, having been denied clemency by both Presidents Truman and Eisenhower, who believed that they had to make a firm stance against international communism. Since that time, their trial and execution has prompted numerous studies exploring their guilt or innocence and the value of the information that they provided the Soviet Union: Did it in fact advance Soviet acquisition of nuclear capability? What did Ethel know of her husband's communist activities? And were their sentences disproportionately harsh?
However, none of these questions is the focus of this book. Instead, Lori Clune, a professor at Fresno State, explores the intense international reaction to the executions in the early Cold War context. Covering the period from 1952 to 1954, the book documents reactions in 48 countries (some behind the "Iron Curtain" and others part of the so-called "free world." Unlike in the United States, international reaction to the executions was largely negative and in some cases sparked massive protests and diplomatic tensions. This negative reaction was of great concern to the State Department, which worried that it might damage the US government's ability to lead the free world and perhaps make communism more attractive in some allied nations. In the Western world, protests were particularly strong in countries with large Catholic populations, particularly after Pope Pius XII (an arch anti-communist) publicly condemned the execution. For example, in France, every major newspaper ran an editorial condemning the executions and in some cases accusing the United States of fascism. The reaction was so intense that the US ambassador to France C. Douglas Dillon sent a memo to Washington expressing his concerns that if the execution were carried out, it might undermine US-French relations: "the great majority of French people of all political leanings feel that death sentence is completely unjustified from [a] moral standpoint and is due only to [a] political climate peculiar to [the] United States.... If [the] death sentence is carried out, this will have a most harmful long term effect on the opinion and attitudes of the French people towards the United States” (p. 96).Yet, despite intense international protests, Eisenhower and his advisers decided not to stop the execution. They knew that the American people supported the executions, and they believed that the US could weather any diplomatic fall-out.
This belief, immediately, raises the question: What, if any, long-term consequences did this decision have on US foreign relations and on America's image abroad? Unfortunately, this question goes unanswered. Moreover, the reaction of other countries is largely presented without any contextualization. While the author does briefly mention that in many nations a comparison was drawn between the Rosenberg trial and the 1920 trial of Sacco and Vanzetti (during an earlier Red Scare) and that South American countries often framed their objections using anti-imperialist rhetoric, these references are not fleshed out. Similarly, the author does not tell us how (or if) protesters in various national contexts were able to reshape national attitudes toward the United States or draw on negative reactions to the executions to fuel leftist movements. It would have been interesting if the author had chosen to explore a few national contexts in greater depth, so as to address the long-term impact on US foreign relations. Still, the book offers a fascinating glimpse into how the trial and execution were perceived abroad.
However, none of these questions is the focus of this book. Instead, Lori Clune, a professor at Fresno State, explores the intense international reaction to the executions in the early Cold War context. Covering the period from 1952 to 1954, the book documents reactions in 48 countries (some behind the "Iron Curtain" and others part of the so-called "free world." Unlike in the United States, international reaction to the executions was largely negative and in some cases sparked massive protests and diplomatic tensions. This negative reaction was of great concern to the State Department, which worried that it might damage the US government's ability to lead the free world and perhaps make communism more attractive in some allied nations. In the Western world, protests were particularly strong in countries with large Catholic populations, particularly after Pope Pius XII (an arch anti-communist) publicly condemned the execution. For example, in France, every major newspaper ran an editorial condemning the executions and in some cases accusing the United States of fascism. The reaction was so intense that the US ambassador to France C. Douglas Dillon sent a memo to Washington expressing his concerns that if the execution were carried out, it might undermine US-French relations: "the great majority of French people of all political leanings feel that death sentence is completely unjustified from [a] moral standpoint and is due only to [a] political climate peculiar to [the] United States.... If [the] death sentence is carried out, this will have a most harmful long term effect on the opinion and attitudes of the French people towards the United States” (p. 96).Yet, despite intense international protests, Eisenhower and his advisers decided not to stop the execution. They knew that the American people supported the executions, and they believed that the US could weather any diplomatic fall-out.
This belief, immediately, raises the question: What, if any, long-term consequences did this decision have on US foreign relations and on America's image abroad? Unfortunately, this question goes unanswered. Moreover, the reaction of other countries is largely presented without any contextualization. While the author does briefly mention that in many nations a comparison was drawn between the Rosenberg trial and the 1920 trial of Sacco and Vanzetti (during an earlier Red Scare) and that South American countries often framed their objections using anti-imperialist rhetoric, these references are not fleshed out. Similarly, the author does not tell us how (or if) protesters in various national contexts were able to reshape national attitudes toward the United States or draw on negative reactions to the executions to fuel leftist movements. It would have been interesting if the author had chosen to explore a few national contexts in greater depth, so as to address the long-term impact on US foreign relations. Still, the book offers a fascinating glimpse into how the trial and execution were perceived abroad.
March 13, 2016
"How to Spot a Communist," LOOK Magazine, March 4, 1947. "To the Communist, everything—his country, his job, his family—take second place to his Party duty. Even his sex life is synchronized with the obligations of The Cause." A Red under every bed, indeed.
Clune's research for a book on high-profile Cold War security cases including Charlie Chaplin, Paul Robeson and Robert Oppenheimer led to a brick wall when she discovered that the State Department archives had no record of overseas diplomatic communications connected to the spy trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Impossible. There was a universal outcry over the death sentence for conspiracy to commit espionage, and a critical index to its documentation was lost or purposely hidden.
A "very educated guess," turned up hundreds of missing 'name cards,' and shifted the author's focus to an examination of American Cold War diplomacy and propaganda during the Korean War, the development of the hydrogen bomb, and the spy trial of the Rosenbergs and their cohort. The only American couple ever executed for a federal offense, "Executing the Rosenbergs" opens a window into the efforts of the US government to "shift the blame for war in Korea off of themselves and onto Jews and Communists."
This scholarly treatise is not about the Rosenbergs per se, though their motivations, ideology and family relations are explored, with accompanying photos. Instead the spotlight is shone on the repercussions of the trial, sentencing and numerous appeals, the global fervor demanding clemency, which included pleas from Pope Pius XII and Pablo Picasso, and the "unwieldy, emotional and lengthy global propaganda effort[s]" of the US and the Soviets to capitalize on the political instability at the height of the Cold War era. Extensive notes and bibliography comprise forty percent of the text.
Though subject to the occasional info-dump, the reader will come away with a nuanced understanding of the paranoid McCarthy era. Best read with "The Implosion Conspiracy" by Louis Nizer.
This book was received in exchange for an honest review.
Clune's research for a book on high-profile Cold War security cases including Charlie Chaplin, Paul Robeson and Robert Oppenheimer led to a brick wall when she discovered that the State Department archives had no record of overseas diplomatic communications connected to the spy trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Impossible. There was a universal outcry over the death sentence for conspiracy to commit espionage, and a critical index to its documentation was lost or purposely hidden.
A "very educated guess," turned up hundreds of missing 'name cards,' and shifted the author's focus to an examination of American Cold War diplomacy and propaganda during the Korean War, the development of the hydrogen bomb, and the spy trial of the Rosenbergs and their cohort. The only American couple ever executed for a federal offense, "Executing the Rosenbergs" opens a window into the efforts of the US government to "shift the blame for war in Korea off of themselves and onto Jews and Communists."
This scholarly treatise is not about the Rosenbergs per se, though their motivations, ideology and family relations are explored, with accompanying photos. Instead the spotlight is shone on the repercussions of the trial, sentencing and numerous appeals, the global fervor demanding clemency, which included pleas from Pope Pius XII and Pablo Picasso, and the "unwieldy, emotional and lengthy global propaganda effort[s]" of the US and the Soviets to capitalize on the political instability at the height of the Cold War era. Extensive notes and bibliography comprise forty percent of the text.
Though subject to the occasional info-dump, the reader will come away with a nuanced understanding of the paranoid McCarthy era. Best read with "The Implosion Conspiracy" by Louis Nizer.
This book was received in exchange for an honest review.
January 13, 2026
There is a LOT of background before you get to the Rosenbergs. I really enjoy it and I think it’s necessary but if you’re not typically a nonfiction person this might not be the book for you. It’s a really interesting look into something that has been overlooked by history textbooks. The ending is really repetitive. The only thing that’s missing is a long investigation as to what the Rosenbergs actually DID. There’s a lot of before and after and what people thought, but where is the investigation into what actually happened? Glad I read it but it was certainly lacking in some areas. 3.2 stars
March 29, 2024
Very well written
January 9, 2025
This is an examination of the foreign response to the trial and execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenburg -- an internationally famous case which saw two American citizens executed for conspiracy during the height of the Red Scare. Clune’s interest was sparked when, during research, it was discovered that Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were not found in the card index of the State Department documents at the National Archives. This was suspicious in the extreme -- surely, the infamous Rosenberg case had been referenced in State Department correspondence at least once! The archivists on duty were equally surprised by this omission; one indicated that the State Department would have had to remove these cards before donating the documents to the Archives. They vowed to continue searching, and eventually turned up two boxes of clippings, tucked away in the Archive, uncatalogued and unlisted. Sealed inside were all of the foreign voices of protest – telegrams from foreign state officials, foreign newspaper clippings, petitions, and the like – which someone, at some time, for some reason, decided to surreptitiously pull from circulation. Clune’s book thrusts them into public view for the first time.
Finding evidence of protest from at least forty-eight different countries between 1952 and 1954, Clune sets upon an interesting retelling of the case, eschewing a discussion of guilt or innocence in favor of featuring foreign opinion. The documentary evidence clearly exposes widespread condemnation of America’s zealous prosecution of these two apparent spies. Both communist and non-communist countries were appalled on various grounds, and rarely did the State Department respond to their concerns.
The USSR painted the case as evidence of a paranoid, fascist America spiralling out of control and argued that the country wanted to blame their failures in the Korean War on Jews and Communists. Such a response is expected from America’s adversary, and could be dismissed as biased, ideological condemnation, were it not for a startling number of non-communist voices who joined the chorus of protest.
Each voice had their own tone, but sang the same words: Save the Rosenbergs! While the USSR’s brassy Red baritone painted scenes of innocent victims caught up in America’s ever-growing spy paranoia, the moral pipe organ of the Vatican mourned the victims as well as their orphaned children and thundered ominously against the death penalty. This was heard around the world, and Catholics everywhere raised their voices in protest, especially in South America. The Pope himself, Pius XII, despised Communism to his core, but murder was an affront to God himself, and would not be allowed to go unnoticed.
Between these two idealogues were moderate countries, harmonizing with murmured democratic worries. This included some of the left-wing European newspapers who stayed out of religion and politics altogether, preferring to attack what was (to them) an obviously flawed trial based on weak evidence, with an extreme sentence. Non-Catholic countries added their Protestant voices to those outraged by the death penalty – the sanctity of human life was non-denominational. Execution was also decried by trade union workers in the Nordic countries, and everywhere, women’s groups organized against this extreme penalty.
Furthermore, it appears that America did not offer a counter-narrative to these protests, or even acknowledge them. When the State Department appealed to Washington for some kind of help to counter foreign criticism, Washington remained mute. This did not help the optics, and led countries to declare that such a bizarre trial and execution could only make sense in the “political climate peculiar to the USA.” Clune illustrates convincingly that Eisenhower was listening to the opinion of the American voter: since the public had taken a hard line against Communism, he had to as well. Any wavering would show weakness, which is never attractive in a president, especially one who is battling public opinion during an unpopular and unsuccessful war.
The book is extensively researched, with nearly a 1:1 ratio of citations to sentences, compelling the reader to have faith in the facts as presented. The range of countries surveyed shows a genuine, concerted effort to sample from as many foreign outlets as possible. North and South America, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceana all make appearances in the discussion, reassuring the reader that Clune has not selectively portrayed world opinion. One criticism is that care is not taken to fully illuminate the omnipresence of fear that was America during the Red Scare. Those who are unfamiliar with the intensity of the era will not necessarily appreciate the vast chasm between American reality and that of the rest of the world. This could have been mitigated by juxtaposing more of the American coverage for the foreign counterpart for a more prescient comparison. Those who are seeking a discussion of America during the Red Scare will be disappointed -- only foreign reaction content is discussed in detail. Overall, though, this book does an excellent job of showing how public opinion can be moderated, censored, and manipulated through the governmental control of information.
Finding evidence of protest from at least forty-eight different countries between 1952 and 1954, Clune sets upon an interesting retelling of the case, eschewing a discussion of guilt or innocence in favor of featuring foreign opinion. The documentary evidence clearly exposes widespread condemnation of America’s zealous prosecution of these two apparent spies. Both communist and non-communist countries were appalled on various grounds, and rarely did the State Department respond to their concerns.
The USSR painted the case as evidence of a paranoid, fascist America spiralling out of control and argued that the country wanted to blame their failures in the Korean War on Jews and Communists. Such a response is expected from America’s adversary, and could be dismissed as biased, ideological condemnation, were it not for a startling number of non-communist voices who joined the chorus of protest.
Each voice had their own tone, but sang the same words: Save the Rosenbergs! While the USSR’s brassy Red baritone painted scenes of innocent victims caught up in America’s ever-growing spy paranoia, the moral pipe organ of the Vatican mourned the victims as well as their orphaned children and thundered ominously against the death penalty. This was heard around the world, and Catholics everywhere raised their voices in protest, especially in South America. The Pope himself, Pius XII, despised Communism to his core, but murder was an affront to God himself, and would not be allowed to go unnoticed.
Between these two idealogues were moderate countries, harmonizing with murmured democratic worries. This included some of the left-wing European newspapers who stayed out of religion and politics altogether, preferring to attack what was (to them) an obviously flawed trial based on weak evidence, with an extreme sentence. Non-Catholic countries added their Protestant voices to those outraged by the death penalty – the sanctity of human life was non-denominational. Execution was also decried by trade union workers in the Nordic countries, and everywhere, women’s groups organized against this extreme penalty.
Furthermore, it appears that America did not offer a counter-narrative to these protests, or even acknowledge them. When the State Department appealed to Washington for some kind of help to counter foreign criticism, Washington remained mute. This did not help the optics, and led countries to declare that such a bizarre trial and execution could only make sense in the “political climate peculiar to the USA.” Clune illustrates convincingly that Eisenhower was listening to the opinion of the American voter: since the public had taken a hard line against Communism, he had to as well. Any wavering would show weakness, which is never attractive in a president, especially one who is battling public opinion during an unpopular and unsuccessful war.
The book is extensively researched, with nearly a 1:1 ratio of citations to sentences, compelling the reader to have faith in the facts as presented. The range of countries surveyed shows a genuine, concerted effort to sample from as many foreign outlets as possible. North and South America, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceana all make appearances in the discussion, reassuring the reader that Clune has not selectively portrayed world opinion. One criticism is that care is not taken to fully illuminate the omnipresence of fear that was America during the Red Scare. Those who are unfamiliar with the intensity of the era will not necessarily appreciate the vast chasm between American reality and that of the rest of the world. This could have been mitigated by juxtaposing more of the American coverage for the foreign counterpart for a more prescient comparison. Those who are seeking a discussion of America during the Red Scare will be disappointed -- only foreign reaction content is discussed in detail. Overall, though, this book does an excellent job of showing how public opinion can be moderated, censored, and manipulated through the governmental control of information.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2017
If you're considering this book I would suggest you notice one thing in particular about the title, Executing the Rosenbergs: Death and Diplomacy in a Cold War World, namely that it is about executing the Rosenbergs and not convicting them. While Clune certainly points out facts that were either ignored, overlooked or unknown at trial that is not the focus of this book. It is about the harsh sentence, the national and international responses and the ways (and reasons) in which the US government dug in its heels and carried out the sentence. In other words, those who are making obvious in their "reviews" that they either didn't read the book or were unable to understand its nuances because they feel an inflated sense of indignation that the past is being analyzed and the US government, like any human organization, is less than perfect and sometimes acts in an inconsistent manner can and should be ignored as extremists putting forth outdated talking points.
This book is not perfect and I found a couple of her arguments less persuasive than others but on the whole the book is very well researched, clearly argued (if one opens one's mind a bit) presents a viable framework within which to better understand both why the government chose, outside of the trial itself, to impose an extreme and unpopular sentence. The changes in tone and characterization in government communications shows the shifting world within which this trial and the fiasco around the executions took place.
I would recommend this to anyone interested in the period of the cold war as well as anyone interested in how diplomacy, or the lack thereof, are every bit as important as any discovery of facts or guilt/innocence in a trial of this magnitude.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
This book is not perfect and I found a couple of her arguments less persuasive than others but on the whole the book is very well researched, clearly argued (if one opens one's mind a bit) presents a viable framework within which to better understand both why the government chose, outside of the trial itself, to impose an extreme and unpopular sentence. The changes in tone and characterization in government communications shows the shifting world within which this trial and the fiasco around the executions took place.
I would recommend this to anyone interested in the period of the cold war as well as anyone interested in how diplomacy, or the lack thereof, are every bit as important as any discovery of facts or guilt/innocence in a trial of this magnitude.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
October 21, 2021
The Rosenbergs, parents of young boys, were executed in 1953 after being accused of passing on atomic bomb secrets to the Soviet Union. This book discusses the world wide protests and the attempts to gain clemency for them up until their execution at the order of Dwight D. Eisenhower.
I didn't realise that it was such a huge story at the time. The hope of the US government was that Rosenbergs would offer a last minute confession in exchange for implicating other members of their spy ring. Some of the details of the testimony against them given by David Greenglass, Ethel Rosenberg's brother who worked on the Manhattan Project and at Oak ridge was done in order to save his own wife from being implicated.
It turns out that they didn't in fact pass useful nuclear secrets but they were organisers of an active spy ring passing on thousands of military and industrial secrets to the USSR.
While this book is not an extensive review of the evidence against the Rosenbergs, it does detail the day by day machinations of the press, US and other foreign governments and activities of activists trying to save them.
A tragic story. Interesting as I will now have to follow up on all the other threads of this real life conspiracy.
Coincidentally today I was reminded of this quote from The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn about executions in the USSR:
"Therefore, when we sign a sentence ordering someone to be shot we can never be absolutely certain, but only approximately, in view of certain hypotheses, and in a certain sense, that we are punishing a guilty person. Thence arose the most practical conclusion: that it was useless to seek absolute evidence—for evidence is always relative—or unchallengeable witnesses—for they can say different things at different times."
I didn't realise that it was such a huge story at the time. The hope of the US government was that Rosenbergs would offer a last minute confession in exchange for implicating other members of their spy ring. Some of the details of the testimony against them given by David Greenglass, Ethel Rosenberg's brother who worked on the Manhattan Project and at Oak ridge was done in order to save his own wife from being implicated.
It turns out that they didn't in fact pass useful nuclear secrets but they were organisers of an active spy ring passing on thousands of military and industrial secrets to the USSR.
While this book is not an extensive review of the evidence against the Rosenbergs, it does detail the day by day machinations of the press, US and other foreign governments and activities of activists trying to save them.
A tragic story. Interesting as I will now have to follow up on all the other threads of this real life conspiracy.
Coincidentally today I was reminded of this quote from The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn about executions in the USSR:
"Therefore, when we sign a sentence ordering someone to be shot we can never be absolutely certain, but only approximately, in view of certain hypotheses, and in a certain sense, that we are punishing a guilty person. Thence arose the most practical conclusion: that it was useless to seek absolute evidence—for evidence is always relative—or unchallengeable witnesses—for they can say different things at different times."
June 25, 2022
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, a Jewish-American couple with two young sons, were arrested by the FBI in 1950 for conspiracy to commit espionage. They were tried, convicted, and executed in 1953 at Sing Sing Penitentiary. Debate continues to this day as to how guilty they were, of what, and what punishment their actions deserved.
Clune covers all major aspects of the story but emphasizes the international dissent that happened before and after the executions, and she puts these reactions in context with the death of Stalin, the Korean War, and the Cold War.
This was the era of Richard Nixon at his most egregious, of J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI, and of Senator Joe McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee. These events have elements familiar to us today: right-wing politics that verge on totalitarianism, a population polarized by rigid ideologies, and a highly politicized justice system. The trial itself bore more than a passing resemblance to a Soviet show trial.
Clune covers all major aspects of the story but emphasizes the international dissent that happened before and after the executions, and she puts these reactions in context with the death of Stalin, the Korean War, and the Cold War.
This was the era of Richard Nixon at his most egregious, of J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI, and of Senator Joe McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee. These events have elements familiar to us today: right-wing politics that verge on totalitarianism, a population polarized by rigid ideologies, and a highly politicized justice system. The trial itself bore more than a passing resemblance to a Soviet show trial.
April 7, 2022
I enjoyed the book very much. It's crazy how much of significant U.S. history we aren't aware of.
Some reviewers are talking abut the author's bias, and I just don't really get that. She concludes that Julius was guilty and that Ethel assisted him to a certain extent, but that their crimes - especially in comparison to the crimes of others - was far too extreme. That seems evidently clear. Also, the point of her book isn't to present the case for both sides, but rather to show how propaganda was used to counter significant foreign sentiment against the execution of the Rosenbergs and to justify the decision.
I thought the book was extremely interesting and would recommend this to anyone who doesn't know about this story.
Some reviewers are talking abut the author's bias, and I just don't really get that. She concludes that Julius was guilty and that Ethel assisted him to a certain extent, but that their crimes - especially in comparison to the crimes of others - was far too extreme. That seems evidently clear. Also, the point of her book isn't to present the case for both sides, but rather to show how propaganda was used to counter significant foreign sentiment against the execution of the Rosenbergs and to justify the decision.
I thought the book was extremely interesting and would recommend this to anyone who doesn't know about this story.
November 10, 2024
Very good coverage of the Cold War period, the subsequent anti-Communist fervor, and the effects this all had on the legal system. While Julius Rosenberg was clearly guilty, his espionage apparently did not include nuclear bomb secrets. His wife, Ethyl, was a suspect purely because she was the husband of Julius. Although there was no evidence against her, she was arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for bizarre reasons. Ethyl 's brother, David Greenglass, and his wife, Ruth, were clearly guilty of passing nuclear bomb secrets, but for testifying against his sister, David got a relatively light sentence and Ruth wasn't charged. The entire convoluted event might be attributable to Cold War anti-Communist fear.
Interesting read, but quite disturbing.
Interesting read, but quite disturbing.
September 10, 2019
Interesting listen about a case with which I was unfamiliar. Though it’s not comprehensive and mostly just deals with the time after the Rosenbergs were found guilty, it was still a little long winded at times. Basically everything pointed towards the Rosenbergs not being as guilty as they were tried, but because of Cold War complications, they were still both executed.
I would have loved more of an explanation of what led to the charges and the aftermath of their deaths, but it was still fascinating and a good jumping off point for further research!
I would have loved more of an explanation of what led to the charges and the aftermath of their deaths, but it was still fascinating and a good jumping off point for further research!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2024
This is a book that could have been 1 chapter. It is SUPER repetitive and only the last chapter gives any context for why the story is still relevant. It is mis-titled, because 90% of the book is about the different protests and pleas for clemency around the world, month after month. If the author had spent 1/8 as much time researching the Rosenburgs themselves or what they did or didn't do as spies, as she did on detailing every protest and newspaper column that disagreed with their sentence, then she could have exonerated them herself. This was a slog!
September 18, 2021
A fantastic and comprehensive look at how the execution of the Rosenbergs was perceived around the world, as well as the lasting effects of the decision to not grant clemency. So much research went into the writing of this book and I especially enjoyed how the author made a point of dispelling misinformation that continues to exist about this tragic case.
September 14, 2022
Read as an audiobook, which may be why it dragged a little. Overall, it was very well researched and presents a perspective I have not heard anywhere else. Funny how the media and public education has covered up the international reaction to the Rosenbergs', particularly Ethel's, execution. Perhaps being in a more connected age will help avoid such tragedies.
October 3, 2025
This was an interesting slice of the story of the Rosenbergs, however, I had hoped the writing would have been more about the entire case. There definitely was a fascinating look at the international reaction and movement to save the Rosenbergs, but I had expected (and wanted a fuller story).
June 16, 2017
interesting--need to distinguish between facts and author's bias, of course that is true with most books
January 13, 2021
another history lesson you never got in school
January 5, 2026
Overall this felt very repetitive—lists and lists of protests from around the world in every chapter.
May 5, 2016
Not having read any other book on the Rosenberg case, I have no idea how this one compares, or if it actually shines new light on the case. Notes make up almost half of the book, which made me happy, simply because I felt no obligation to read them, and I could stop reading the Kindle edition at 50 something percent. This is not to ignore the author's extensive research or mission, but to say things got pretty monotonous pretty quickly; particularly where the worldwide protest against their death sentences was concerned. Although this book is not difficult at all to comprehend, it's really not so much for the general public, but for those intensely interested in the subject matter.
I was not. I am not. I'm apparently missing the point as to why the Rosenberg case is still considered so important to some people. Justice may not have prevailed when Ethel Rosenberg was executed, but she was guilty of aiding and abetting her husband; who was guilty of betraying his country for a country that would not have given a second thought to killing him or his wife; with no trial, no jury, no consideration whatsoever for their lives or the lives of their two children. Cry me a river. And they were doing this during a time period when there were some incredibly real fears that a mad leader might get nuclear bombs and annihilate other countries, if not make the entire Earth uninhabitable. Moreover, besides betraying their country, they betrayed their sons by leaving them nothing but a legacy of lies, telling them the same lies over and over, chaining them to those lies. One can only wonder, when Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were strapped in the chair, did they still truly think the cause was worth it?
(Note: I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review.)
I was not. I am not. I'm apparently missing the point as to why the Rosenberg case is still considered so important to some people. Justice may not have prevailed when Ethel Rosenberg was executed, but she was guilty of aiding and abetting her husband; who was guilty of betraying his country for a country that would not have given a second thought to killing him or his wife; with no trial, no jury, no consideration whatsoever for their lives or the lives of their two children. Cry me a river. And they were doing this during a time period when there were some incredibly real fears that a mad leader might get nuclear bombs and annihilate other countries, if not make the entire Earth uninhabitable. Moreover, besides betraying their country, they betrayed their sons by leaving them nothing but a legacy of lies, telling them the same lies over and over, chaining them to those lies. One can only wonder, when Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were strapped in the chair, did they still truly think the cause was worth it?
(Note: I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review.)
February 25, 2016
A detailed account of the propaganda war over the Rosenbergs trial and execution.
In 1950, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were arrested for passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. Despite years of appeals the Rosenbergs were executed making them the only civilians ever put to death for conspiracy-related activities.
Lori Clune has discovered new documents from the State Department that detail widespread dissent against the decision in 80 cities and 48 countries. She describes how the Truman and Eisenhower administrations attempted to turn the case into a pro-democracy crusade against communism.
Clune doesn’t dwell on the guilt or innocence of the Rosenbergs, but focusses on how the case had affected the cold war and America’s relationship with its allies.
A well written and well researched book that provides new insight into probably the infamous espionage case of the Cold War.
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
In 1950, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were arrested for passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. Despite years of appeals the Rosenbergs were executed making them the only civilians ever put to death for conspiracy-related activities.
Lori Clune has discovered new documents from the State Department that detail widespread dissent against the decision in 80 cities and 48 countries. She describes how the Truman and Eisenhower administrations attempted to turn the case into a pro-democracy crusade against communism.
Clune doesn’t dwell on the guilt or innocence of the Rosenbergs, but focusses on how the case had affected the cold war and America’s relationship with its allies.
A well written and well researched book that provides new insight into probably the infamous espionage case of the Cold War.
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
May 19, 2016
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were arrested for conspiracy to commit espionage. They were found guilty and were both executed on June 19, 1953, the only American civilians ever put to death for this crime. They left behind two young sons. The case, and their execution, ignited world-wide protest, and the controversy still exists today as to whether they both deserved to die, whether they received a fair and impartial trial, along with a host of other questions that remain.
Lori Clune explores the case from its origins and beyond the execution of the Rosenbergs, from the protests that occurred around the world, and the position taken by the United States government during and after the disposition of the case.
I found this book to be a most interesting and informative read, and it has prompted me to want to explore the topic more in the future. I received and Advance Readers Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Lori Clune explores the case from its origins and beyond the execution of the Rosenbergs, from the protests that occurred around the world, and the position taken by the United States government during and after the disposition of the case.
I found this book to be a most interesting and informative read, and it has prompted me to want to explore the topic more in the future. I received and Advance Readers Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
September 28, 2016
Based on new documents regarding the famous Rosenberg spy case, the author succeeds to explore carefully and neutrally the possible reasons behind the radical legal decisions. It outlines very well the political and geopolitical ambiance, which played an important role in the final decisions. I really appreciated the pleasant style of the writing too, besides the very interesting information brought to the public attention. An interesting book to read also for its inherent academic qualities.
Cold War policies and mentalities are still resonant nowadays but at the academic level at least, it is about time to get the chance to deconstruct it and offer serious analysis and, where necessary, reconsiderations of former approaches at a great extent tainted by ideological bias. This book can make a turn in this respect too.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange of an honest review
Cold War policies and mentalities are still resonant nowadays but at the academic level at least, it is about time to get the chance to deconstruct it and offer serious analysis and, where necessary, reconsiderations of former approaches at a great extent tainted by ideological bias. This book can make a turn in this respect too.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange of an honest review
July 4, 2016
I grew up in the last years of the Cold War; if I remember right, my first awareness of the Rosenbergs began with the throwaway references in 1999's You've Got Mail. Given that, and that the executions occurred more than 60 years ago, it's still remarkable to me that we are only now uncovering things about this case. Lori Clune's book is an excellent addition to the Rosenberg case literature. Here, she's uncovered the ways in which the Rosenbergs became an international sensation, as people around the world interpreted the death penalty as a miscarriage of American democracy and justice....and all at a pivotal moment in the early Cold War. This is an excellently told history, riveting and important to helping us understand how the Rosenberg legacy continues today.
December 12, 2016
Very interesting with great details in such a bleak time in US history. I was born in the early 60's and don't remember being taught anything about the infamous couple. I learned quite a great deal from the book. I had no idea regarding the brother who gave up his sister to save his own wife. How did her brother live with himself afterwards? How could he ever face his nephews knowing his false testimony had sent their mother (and his sister) to the electric chair? Even the sons today acknowledge that the father was a spy, but what about the mother? Such a sad story for the sons to live with.
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December 4, 2017345.73023 C6494 2016
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