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.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Ch 1: Truman Ch 2: Transition Ch 3: Eisenhower Ch 4: Execution Ch 5: Reverberations Conclusion Notes Abbreviations Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Lori Clune is Associate Professor of History at California State University, Fresno.

Review :
Lori Clune ... has pulled off the remarkable feat of shining important new light on an old story. Lori Clune has produced a massively-documented book ... Clune's approach, in terms of showing how American diplomats and people in foreign countries responded to events, adds a new dimension to the story. Clune details the facts comprehensively with great care and sensitivity ... a measured and engaged history of the case and its immediate context, correcting many of the errors of previous histories Executing the Rosenbergs is a highly readable, meticulously researched, and fascinating account ... Clune is able to weave a fascinating story about global reaction to the case. This book will fascinate those interested in the specifics of the case ... the overall strength of this excellent book is the rich detail it provides on individuals and the episode in general. Highly recommended. Although the Rosenberg library is voluminous, the latest addition, Executing the Rosenbergs, has an original perspective. It focuses not on guilt or innocence but on the response of two American administrations to the worldwide outcry the case inspired. Lori Clune's gripping monograph shows how the United States attempted to 'spin' the Rosenberg case and the couples' executions in the Cold War propaganda campaign of the early 1950s, and failed. Clune's impeccable research not only exposes Washington's efforts at shaping overseas reactions and coverage of the Rosenbergs' fate; it also points to the contradictory response the case engendered within the government itself as officials struggled to downplay critical coverage abroad and defuse an international movement that grew to include nearly 50 countries whose citizens were passionately concerned about their draconian sentencing. Do we need another book on the Rosenbergs? We need this one -- Lori Clune's remarkable account of how the United States lost the moral upper ground during one of the Cold War's most important crusades is a must read for anyone interested in the Eisenhower presidency, global activism, Cold War politics, and espionage. Making thorough use of previously undiscovered State Department files, Lori Clune provides us with a long-overdue first study of the global reactions to the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, one of the most notorious events of the Cold War era. In so doing, she makes a significant contribution not only to our understanding of the Rosenberg case but the Cold War more generally. And by showing the range and scope of responses over space and time, she convincingly demonstrates that the execution had far-reaching consequences. Balanced, yet provocative, Executing the Rosenbergs tells a compelling story about the global ramifications of one of the Cold War's most enduring controversies. Readers familiar with the tale of the Cold War's most famous atomic spies will learn much from the wealth of new insights and information Lori Clune brings to the table. Newcomers to the Rosenberg case will find in these pages a gripping, compelling, and accessible narrative -- one free of the polarizing tint that has colored other historical writings on the case.