Accessibility links
50th Anniversary of the Rosenberg Executions Julius and Ethel Rosenberg died in the electric chair on June 19, 1953. They were the first civilians to be executed for espionage in U.S. history. The couple had been found guilty of conspiring to share atomic secrets with the Soviet Union. NPR's Neal Conan hosts a Talk of the Nation discussion about the lingering questions over the case.

Guests:

Sam Roberts
*Deputy editor at The New York Times
*Author, The Brother: The Untold Story of the Rosenberg Case (Random House, 2003)

Robert Meeropol
*Younger son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who's publishing a memoir, An Execution in the Family

Talk of the Nation

Neal Conan leads an exchange of ideas and opinions on the issues that dominate the news landscape.

50th Anniversary of the Rosenberg Executions

Heard on Talk of the Nation

50th Anniversary of the Rosenberg Executions

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1302805/1302806" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg died in the electric chair on June 19, 1953. They were the first civilians to be executed for espionage in U.S. history. The couple had been found guilty of conspiring to share atomic secrets with the Soviet Union.

The debate over what really happened and how the couple should have been punished continues to this day. Questions remain about the key witness against them, Ethel Rosenberg's brother, David Greenglass.

Joining NPR's Neal Conan for a discussion about the case 50 years later are Robert Meeropol, the Rosenbergs' youngest son, and Sam Roberts, author of The Brother: The Untold Story of the Rosenberg Case.