September 10, 2024
The National Security Agency (NSA) released a formerly classified document confirming that the U.S. government knew that Ethel Rosenberg was not a spy long before her trial and execution. In response, her sons, Michael and Robert Meeropol, and the Rosenberg Fund for Children call on President Biden to issue a proclamation stating that Ethel was wrongfully convicted and executed.
Ethel and her husband, Julius Rosenberg, were executed 71 years ago during the anti-communist hysteria of the Cold War Era. They had been convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage, in what was called “the crime of the century.” Their sons were only six and 10 years old when their parents were killed.
The release of this August 22, 1950 memo serves as the capstone for an overwhelming body of evidence that the U.S. government knew that Ethel Rosenberg never spied for the Soviet Union.
Jennifer Meeropol, RFC Executive Director and granddaughter of the Rosenbergs, says, "President Biden has the power to right this historic injustice, redress the harm done to my family, and bring peace to my father and uncle in their lifetimes. The Rosenberg Fund for Children was established by my father, Robert, almost 35 years ago in memory of his parents and as a testament to the community of progressive people who stood with him and his brother when their family was targeted. The RFC joins my father and uncle in calling on President Biden to act swiftly to address this grievous injustice.”