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Weatherwax Rosenberg Flyer Collection
SPC.2017.006
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Contributing Institution:
California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections
Title: Weatherwax Rosenberg Flyer Collection
Creator:
Weatherwax, John M. (John Martin), 1900-1984
Creator:
Los Angeles Committee to Secure Justice in the Rosenberg Case
Creator:
National Committee to Secure Justice in the Rosenberg Case
Identifier/Call Number: SPC.2017.006
Physical Description:
1 box
Physical Description:
.20 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): 1952-1976, undated
Date (bulk): 1952-1953
Abstract: The Weatherwax Rosenberg Flyer Collections contains flyers, pamphlets, booklets, and other papers about the Julius and Ethel
Rosenberg case from the personal collection of John Weatherwax. Items in the collection date from 1952 to 1976. Most of the
materials in this collection are flyers for events supporting the Rosenbergs and informational flyers and pamphlets attempting
to rally popular support for clemency. This collection is now part of the
John M. Weatherwax Collection and can be found under
Series III: Subject Files, Sub-Series D: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Case
Language of Material:
English
.
There are no access restrictions on this collection.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives
and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical
materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Julius Rosenberg (1918-1953) and Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg (1915-1953) were convicted of espionage in 1951 and executed in
1953. They were accused of transmitting information about nuclear weapon design to the Soviet Union. The Rosenbergs maintained
their innocence, and a grassroots campaign for clemency for the Rosenbergs arose after their sentencing. Popular appeals for
clemency in the Rosenbergs case cited anti-Semitism and anti-Communist sentiment within the United States as factors in the
outcome of the case. Prominent figures such as Albert Einstein and Jean-Paul Sartre spoke out publicly against the death sentence
in the Rosenberg case. The couple were executed on June 19, 1953, but outcry persisted. Morton Sobell (b. 1917) was also convicted
of espionage alongside the Rosenbergs. Sobell was sentenced to 30 years in prison but served less than 18.
After the dissolution of the USSR, Soviet documents newly available in the West proved that the Rosenbergs had indeed been
Soviet spies, shedding new light on the decades-long historical debate. In 2008, Sobell claimed in an interview with the New
York Times that both he and Julius Rosenberg engaged in espionage for the USSR, reversing decades of maintaining his innocence.
The Weatherwax Rosenberg Flyer Collection contains 0.20 linear feet of ephemera from the grassroots response to the trial,
conviction, and execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. This collection, which dates from 1952 to 1976, consists primarily
of flyers, pamphlets, and booklets produced by the movement to exonerate the Rosenbergs. Many materials were created by the
Los Angeles Committee to Secure Justice for the Rosenbergs (aka the Rosenberg LA Committee) and the National Committee to
Secure Justice for the Rosenbergs. Some materials produced after the execution of the Rosenbergs call for support for Morton
Sobell.
For information about citing archival material, see the
Citations for Archival Material guide, or consult the appropriate style manual.
This collection was processed by Sharon MacNett, 2018.
For other materials related to John M. Weatherwax please consult the
Anti-New Deal Collection . This collection is now part of the
John M. Weatherwax Collection and can be found under
Series III: Subject Files, Sub-Series D: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Case
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Espionage
Espionage, Communist
Espionage, Soviet
Los Angeles (Calif.)
Cold War
Rosenberg, Julius, 1918-1953
Rosenberg, Ethel, 1915-1953
Sobell, Morton, 1917-