By Morton Sobell
September 18, 2008
To the Editor:
Re "57 Years Later, Figure in Rosenberg Case Says He Spied for Soviets" (front page, Sept. 12): I want to make it clear that my only direct knowledge of Julius Rosenberg's activities on behalf of the Soviets during World War II- the activities I spoke with your reporter about- was what he and I did together.
He never told me about anything else he was engaged in. Some readers of your article might asssume that I was corroborating the government's charge about the alleged espionage of David Greenglass- that I was implying that Julius had told me of his other activities. He never did.
To this day I do not know how much of what David Greenglass said at the trial (aside from his perjury about Ethel Rosenberg's alleged typing) is true or false.
As for me, I helped an ally (admittedly illegally) during World War II. I chose not to cooperate with the government in 1950. The issues are now with the historians.
Morton Sobell, Bronx, Sept. 12, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/opinion/l19sobell.html?_r=1&oref=slogin