Roy Cohn famously prosecutes Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, gets death penalty

The Trump Timeline

Sources linked at end of page.

Statistics

Trump File is returning from a two-year hiatus. Your contribution today helps us keep the website free to the public AND hire new researchers to continue this important work.

Related Topics

On March 6, the trial of Julias and Ethel Rosenberg for espionage and being members of the Communist Party begins. Overseeing the prosecution is Assistant U.S. Attorney Irving Saypol and his new star protégé, Roy Cohn.

During the trial, nationwide protests against the government’s paranoid manhunt for alleged Communists grew larger than ever, with Julias and Ethel becoming the faces of the resistance.

Not long after the trial starts, evidence emerges that the Rosenbergs are not guilty after all. Despite the evidence and the protests, on March 29, the Rosenbergs are convicted of espionage. On April 5, they are given the death sentence.

David Greenglass, whose testimony was used to arrest and convict the Rosenbergs, admitted after the trial that Roy Cohn encouraged him to lie in his testimony if he wanted to protect himself and his wife.

The case made Roy Cohn a media star.

Sources

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1695240.stm

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Julius-Rosenberg-and-Ethel-Rosenberg

Where’s My Roy Cohn? (Documentary)

Photo: AP Photo

Get Trump Crime Cult Secrets in Your Inbox

Statistics

Trump File is returning from a two-year hiatus. Your contribution today helps us keep the website free to the public AND hire new researchers to continue this important work.

Related Topics

Also On Trump File