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For years the Rosenbergs' defenders demanded that the government reveal its secrets about the case.  When the [[Moynihan Secrecy Commission]] forced the disclosure of documents, the secrets revealed the government's case was even stronger.<ref>Daniel Patrick Moynihan, ''Secrecy: The American Experience'', (New Haven: Yale University Press 1998), pg. 62.</ref> "Over the years," said Ronald Radosh, "the Rosenbergs' defenders have loudly demanded the release of government documents on the case, only to deny the documents' significance once they are made public." <ref>Ronald Radosh and Joyce Milton, ''The Rosenberg File'', 2d ed. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997), pgs. 471-72.</ref>

For years the Rosenbergs' defenders demanded that the government reveal its secrets about the case.  When the [[Moynihan Secrecy Commission]] forced the disclosure of documents, the secrets revealed the government's case was even stronger.<ref>Daniel Patrick Moynihan, ''Secrecy: The American Experience'', (New Haven: Yale University Press 1998), pg. 62.</ref> "Over the years," said Ronald Radosh, "the Rosenbergs' defenders have loudly demanded the release of government documents on the case, only to deny the documents' significance once they are made public." <ref>Ronald Radosh and Joyce Milton, ''The Rosenberg File'', 2d ed. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997), pgs. 471-72.</ref>

On September 7, 1942, NKVD officer Semen Semenov recruited Julius Rosenberg to spy for the Soviet Union at a Labor Day rally in New York City.<ref>Aleksandr Feklisov, and Sergei Kostin, ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=Dp8gAQAAIAAJ The Man Behind the Rosenbergs]'' (Enigma Books, 2001) ISBN 1-929631-08-1, p. 109</ref> Rosenberg formed his own underground cell, and recruited several people, including his wife Ethel, Joel Barr, Alfred Sarant,<ref>Steven T. Usdin, ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=QTdWLFXKw_UC Engineering communism: how two Americans spied for Stalin and founded the Soviet Silicon Valley]'' (Yale University Press, 2005) ISBN 0300108745, p. 66</ref> Russell McNutt,<ref>John Earl Haynes, Harvey Klehr and Alexander Vassiliev, ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=qCAVQ_cdomcC Spies: the rise and fall of the KGB in America]'' (Yale University Press, 2009) ISBN 0300123906, p. 36</ref> and his wife Ethel's sister-in-law, Ruth Greenglass.

On September 7, 1942, NKVD officer Semen Semenov recruited Julius Rosenberg to spy for the Soviet Union at a Labor Day rally in New York City.<ref>Aleksandr Feklisov, and Sergei Kostin, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Dp8gAQAAIAAJ The Man Behind the Rosenbergs]'' (Enigma Books, 2001) ISBN 1-929631-08-1, p. 109</ref> Rosenberg formed his own underground cell, and recruited several people, including his wife Ethel, Joel Barr, Alfred Sarant,<ref>Steven T. Usdin, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=QTdWLFXKw_UC Engineering communism: how two Americans spied for Stalin and founded the Soviet Silicon Valley]'' (Yale University Press, 2005) ISBN 0300108745, p. 66</ref> Russell McNutt,<ref>John Earl Haynes, Harvey Klehr and Alexander Vassiliev, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=qCAVQ_cdomcC Spies: the rise and fall of the KGB in America]'' (Yale University Press, 2009) ISBN 0300123906, p. 36</ref> and his wife Ethel's sister-in-law, Ruth Greenglass.

Two weeks after Rosenberg was recruited, an encrypted cable from the [[NKVD]]'s [[New York City|New York]] station to [[Moscow]] Center implicated him and his wife Ethel in "talent-spotting" for the NKVD. This cable stated that "Ruth GREENGLASS" had been "recommended" to the NKVD by her husband's sister, and by that sister's husband:

Two weeks after Rosenberg was recruited, an encrypted cable from the [[NKVD]]'s [[New York City|New York]] station to [[Moscow]] Center implicated him and his wife Ethel in "talent-spotting" for the NKVD. This cable stated that "Ruth GREENGLASS" had been "recommended" to the NKVD by her husband's sister, and by that sister's husband:

She added that Ethel participated in this effort, urging her to comply:

She added that Ethel participated in this effort, urging her to comply:

{{cquote|His wife said that I should at least relay the message, that she felt that David might be interested, he would want to do this.... [S]he urged me to talk to David. She felt that even if I was against it, I should at least discuss it with him and hear what he had to say.<ref>1950 [http://media.nara.gov/northeast/nyc/rosenbergcasefiles-greenglass-ruth-pg9132to9161.pdf Testimony of Ruth Greenglass], August 3, 1950, Records of the Rosenberg Grand Jury Transcripts (National Archives and Records Administration), pp. 09137-09138 (PDF 6-7)</ref>}}

{{cquote|His wife said that I should at least relay the message, that she felt that David might be interested, he would want to do this.... [S]he urged me to talk to David. She felt that even if I was against it, I should at least discuss it with him and hear what he had to say.<ref>1950 [http://media.nara.gov/northeast/nyc/rosenbergcasefiles-greenglass-ruth-pg9132to9161.pdf Testimony of Ruth Greenglass], August 3, 1950, Records of the Rosenberg Grand Jury Transcripts (National Archives and Records Administration), pp. 09137-09138 (PDF 6-7)</ref>}}

Shortly thereafter, on November 4, 1944, David Greenlass wrote to his wife from Los Alamos, "I most certainly will be glad to be part of the community project that Julius and his friends have in mind."<ref>Richard Rhodes, ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=f113iCcn87wC Dark sun: the making of the hydrogen bomb] (Simon and Schuster, 1996) ISBN 0684824140, p. 138</ref>

Shortly thereafter, on November 4, 1944, David Greenlass wrote to his wife from Los Alamos, "I most certainly will be glad to be part of the community project that Julius and his friends have in mind."<ref>Richard Rhodes, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=f113iCcn87wC Dark sun: the making of the hydrogen bomb] (Simon and Schuster, 1996) ISBN 0684824140, p. 138</ref>

On August 17, 1950, the grand jury returned an indictment alleging 11 overt acts. Both Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were indicted, as were David Greenglass and [[Anatoli Yatskov|Anatoli Yakovlev]].<ref>[http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/the-atom-spy-case/the-atom-spy-case The Atom Spy Case], Famous Cases and Criminals (Federal Bureau of Investigation)</ref>

On August 17, 1950, the grand jury returned an indictment alleging 11 overt acts. Both Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were indicted, as were David Greenglass and [[Anatoli Yatskov|Anatoli Yakovlev]].<ref>[http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/the-atom-spy-case/the-atom-spy-case The Atom Spy Case], Famous Cases and Criminals (Federal Bureau of Investigation)</ref>

Two days after the grand jury testimony was unsealed, the Rosenbergs' co-defendant Morton Sobell—After more than half a century of denial -- “dramatically reversed himself,” admitting “for the first time that he had been a Soviet spy.” He also implicated Rosenberg in a conspiracy to deliver classified  information to the Soviets.<ref>Sam Roberts, "[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/nyregion/12spy.html?pagewanted=all Figure in Rosenberg Case Admits to Soviet Spying]," ''The New York Times'', September 11, 2008</ref> Five days later, even the Rosenbergs' sons “admitted to a painful conclusion: that their father was a spy.”<ref>Sam Roberts, "[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/17/nyregion/17rosenbergs.html?pagewanted=all Father Was a Spy, Sons Conclude With Regret]," ''The New York Times'', September 16, 2008</ref>

Two days after the grand jury testimony was unsealed, the Rosenbergs' co-defendant Morton Sobell—After more than half a century of denial -- “dramatically reversed himself,” admitting “for the first time that he had been a Soviet spy.” He also implicated Rosenberg in a conspiracy to deliver classified  information to the Soviets.<ref>Sam Roberts, "[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/nyregion/12spy.html?pagewanted=all Figure in Rosenberg Case Admits to Soviet Spying]," ''The New York Times'', September 11, 2008</ref> Five days later, even the Rosenbergs' sons “admitted to a painful conclusion: that their father was a spy.”<ref>Sam Roberts, "[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/17/nyregion/17rosenbergs.html?pagewanted=all Father Was a Spy, Sons Conclude With Regret]," ''The New York Times'', September 16, 2008</ref>

''The New York Times'' was able to hold out for another two years, but finally confronted with overwhelming evidence, in 2010 even it had to throw in the towel, commenting, "Today, with the number of Rosenberg defenders steadily shrinking, let’s stipulate: Julius was a Soviet spy."<ref>Sam Roberts, "[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/books/review/Roberts-t.html?pagewanted=all The Rosenbergs Revisited]," ''The New York Times'', October 8, 2010</ref>

''The New York Times'' was able to hold out for another two years, but finally confronted with overwhelming evidence, in 2010 even it had to throw in the towel, commenting, "Today, with the number of Rosenberg defenders steadily shrinking, let’s stipulate: Julius was a Soviet spy."<ref>Sam Roberts, "[https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/books/review/Roberts-t.html?pagewanted=all The Rosenbergs Revisited]," ''The New York Times'', October 8, 2010</ref>

==See also==

==See also==