The United Jewish Peoples Fraternal Order pays tribute to the courageous and noble Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, electrocuted on framed-up conspiracy charges on June 19, 1953.
70 years since their barbaric execution, the controversy over the charges still goes unresolved.
Caught in an FBI witch-hunt that many believe could have ensnared any U.S. leftist (communist or not), the Rosenbergs resisted government and media demands for “full and complete cooperation” in exchange for their lives. This cooperation mandated naming the names of other alleged conspirators in what was popularly dubbed the “red spy ring.” Instead, they refused to compromise their integrity.
Historians, legal scholars, and authors have all claimed that the Rosenbergs’ arrest, indictment, trial, and death sentence were all carried out improperly by falsifications, mishandling of our judicial process, and dubious testimonies as “evidence.” Many have been able to obtain some files from the FBI and CIA’s declassified documents about the case. Washington, however, refuses to release all the files.
The continued struggle of peace and freedom forces to exonerate Ethel and Julius Rosenberg remains a glorious chapter in the history of our struggle for world peace and justice. Progressive forces in our country must continue the campaign to exonerate Ethel and Julius Rosenberg.
Governmental persecution of political dissidents continues to this day. In the spirit of the Rosenbergs, we must fight for exoneration of all innocent victims charged by the state’s misuse of government procedures and our judicial system.
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg’s innocence must be proven. This will mark a significant advance in the struggle against repression, intimidation, and frame ups.
In his communication to his young sons, Julius wrote:
“… One thing must be crystal clear and that is that our case if allowed to stand is a very great threat directed at the heart of the progressive movement and it is an integral part of the conspiracy to establish fear in our land…”
October 23, 1952
In her message to her sons written a few months before she was executed, Ethel wrote:
If We Die,
You shall know, my sons... ...why the lies and smears were framed,... ...to faith we kept... ...for you, my sons, for you
We must never forget why the Rosenbergs lost their lives; they were used as scapegoats to portray communists as “treasonous and unpatrotic” by governmental forces and attack those who fight against the militarists and financiers of war. The government’s policy was and is Anti-American.
Five months after their death, African-American historian, W.E.B. DuBois, had mentioned in his eulogy for the Rosenbergs, “These people were killed because they would not lie.”
