Cold War Espionage Press Photographs and Supreme Court Records from the Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Atomic Espionage Case.

Julius Ethel Rosenberg

Archive

Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Rosenberg espionage prosecution documented in photographs and legal records created during the early Cold War confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Rosenbergs were convicted in 1951 of transmitting atomic secrets related to the American nuclear weapons program to Soviet intelligence networks, making the case one of the most widely publicized espionage prosecutions of the Cold War. The materials in this archive preserve contemporary press imagery of the trial and its aftermath alongside official court transcripts from the appeals process before the United States Supreme Court. Together these documents record the legal proceedings, media coverage, and broader political climate surrounding a case that became a defining episode in American debates over national security, communism, and capital punishment during the early atomic age.

Archive of ten items including seven press photographs and three United States Supreme Court transcript volumes. The photographs are black and white silver gelatin prints measuring approximately 10 x 8 inches and depict Julius and Ethel Rosenberg during the final stages of their trial and sentencing. One image captioned “ENTERS SMILING TO FACE DEATH SENTENCE” shows Ethel Rosenberg entering federal court as she appeared before Judge Irving Kaufman for sentencing. The caption notes that Judge Kaufman imposed the death penalty, stating that he believed he would violate the trust of the American public if he showed mercy. Additional photographs show Julius and Ethel Rosenberg individually, with verso captions referencing their impending execution at Sing Sing prison on 19 June 1953. Other photographs document figures connected to the espionage investigation, including Harry Gold, the courier who transmitted atomic information between Soviet agents and American contacts, pictured testifying before the Senate Internal Security Committee in 1956, and David Greenglass, a machinist at Los Alamos and Ethel Rosenberg’s brother, photographed after his release from the New York Federal House of Detention on 17 November 1960 following nearly a decade of imprisonment.

Accompanying the photographs are three volumes of official court records from the Rosenberg appeals process: Supreme Court of the United States. Transcript of Record, Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Rosenberg, Petitioners, v. The United States of America; Morton Sobell, Petitioner, v. The United States of America. October Term, 1951. Volumes I, Book 1, Book 2, and Book 4, filed June 5, 1952. These transcripts include petitions for writs of certiorari and habeas corpus submitted by the defense, presenting legal arguments intended to challenge the convictions and sentences imposed in federal court. The Rosenberg case became one of the most controversial espionage trials of the Cold War, symbolizing American fears surrounding atomic secrets and Soviet intelligence operations during the early nuclear era. Press photographs bear stamps from news agencies including International News Photos and the Salt Lake Tribune. Minor handling wear present consistent with press photography and legal documents of the period; overall very good condition. The archive preserves documentary evidence of the investigation, prosecution, and public reception of one of the most widely debated espionage cases in twentieth century American history.

Item #21660

Price: $1,250.00