National Rosenberg Defence Committee records, 1952-1954

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Summary

Creators:
National Rosenberg Defence Committee (Great Britain)
Abstract:
Minutes, correspondence, press releases, circulated material, pamphlets, clippings, and a photograph relating to the espionage trial and execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
Extent:
2 manuscript boxes (0.8 Linear Feet)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], National Rosenberg Defence Committee records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains minutes, correspondence, press releases, circulated material, pamphlets, clippings, and a photograph, relating to the espionage trial and execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.

Biographical / historical:

The National Rosenberg Defence Committee was an organization created in England, most likely during 1952, as a result of the publicity surrounding the trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Maintaining contact with the New York based Committee to Secure Justice in the Rosenberg Case, this organization sought to enlist the support of the British public in the drive to obtain clemency for the Rosenbergs. Members of the committee included Felicity Whittaker, Percy Belcher, Rev. Stanley Evans, and D.N. Pritt, QC. In addition to writing letters to the editors of various leftist, union, and Jewish publications around Britain, they sought public support through sponsoring rallies in London, letter writing campaigns targeted at U.S. leaders, and other forms of protest. In one such letter writing campaign, they enlisted the support of many well-known British authors, including Graham Greene, Dylan Thomas, Sean O'Casey, and a host of others.

Following the execution of the Rosenbergs, the National Rosenberg Defence Committee sponsored a new fund to benefit their two sons. The group organized a meeting the following month to serve as a fundraiser for this new undertaking, and the following year, on the one-year anniversary of the execution of the Rosenbergs, they held another commemorative meeting in London.

Acquisition information:
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 2007.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], National Rosenberg Defence Committee records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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