Ethel Rosenberg was killed by the U.S. government because of her spouse. Without evidence or proof that she committed treasonous acts worthy of death, the U.S. government executed her and her husband on June 19, 1953, “to prove a point,” to play bluff with her and Julius, her husband, trying to get each to rat on the other.
But they had nothing to give.
The Soviets said later they didn't need the little information Julius had about the development of the atom bomb. They scoffed at the idea that it was because of them that the Rosenbergs were executed.
Ethel's brother, David Greenglass, later admitted he lied during testimony, words which sent his sister to the electric chair. He said he lied to protect his wife, also involved in the scheme but never charged. David Greenglass played a much larger role than Ethel Rosenberg, yet he got less than 10 years in prison.
In Ethel Rosenberg: An American Tragedy, Anne Sebba furnishes a well-documented, gripping story of the first woman executed by the U.S. government since 1865 when Mary Surratt was hanged for the death of President Abraham Lincoln.
Ms. Sebba's accounting is an engrossing biography about Ms. Rosenberg and her long love affair with Julius.
The ending is based on original letters the Rosenbergs exchanged while in prison and what appears to an infatuation Ethel had with a psychotherapist.
Ethel's chief desire was to be a good mother for the couple's two sons, Michael, 7, and Robert, 3, who were forced into a children's home when their parents were taken to jail, after their grandmother, Ethel's mother, and other relatives refused to take the boys in.
Ethel questioned her own motherly abilities.
She wanted to be an opera singer and during her prison confinement, entertained guards and other prisoners with her singing. Because she was considered "dangerous" (?), the government forced her into solitary confinement the last two years of her life.
Presiding at their trial, Judge Irving Kaufman became a witness for the prosecution. Roy Cohn, a friend of Donald Trump and chief legal counsel to Sen. Joseph McCarthy, was a chief prosecutor who prided himself on the Rosenbergs' executions, claiming the judge followed his recommendations.
The Rosenbergs' bail had been set at $100,000 which today is equivalent to one million dollars.
Because of their clients' notoriety, the Rosenbergs' two attorneys, lacking the skills and experience for a death trial, were unable to recruit other practiced lawyers to help them.
Three million letters from around the world poured in, pleading for reduced sentencing for the couple; thousands protested at the White House.
Albert Einstein and Pope Pius XII pleaded for reduced sentencing for the couple, but not President Eisenhower, not President Truman, not Eleanor Roosevelt, nor the U.S. Supreme Court (with Justice Hugo Black dissenting) would relent.
And the "civil rights" organization, the ACLU which boasts today about its "attorneys nationwide" who help "handle thousands of cases each year on behalf of clients whose rights have been violated" ignored the pleas to come to the aid of Ethel Rosenberg.
This is a sad story of a couple, deeply in love, caught in the wave of the 1950s Red hysteria, the only civilians killed by the U.S. government for espionage-related activity during the Cold War.
It's an important story in the annals of American history which proves judges, juries, and the U.S. Supreme Court are swayed by events of the times.
Ethel Rosenberg is not dead. She lives on, proof that the American justice system is not just.
Thank you, Ms. Sebba.
For the next edition, may I suggest a simple family tree and a two-sentence biographical identification about the major players.
patricialesli@gmail.com
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GALA Hispanic Theatre's La Casa de la Laguna (The House on the Lagoon) is anything but calm.
It's the world premiere of the play by Caridad Svich, based on the novel by Rosario Ferré, the story of a tumultuous marriage and a woman's search for meaning.
Directed by Rebecca Aparicio, the production follows the adult life of a woman seeking her independence while Puerto Rico's modern history and internal debates about its quest for statehood, flow in the background.
, and Yaiza Figueroa. Photo Daniel Martínez.jpg)
This "casa" is a complex, multi-generational drama, action-packed with relationships and disharmonies.
The acting brings some of Puerto Rico's finest to Washington, many making their technical and stage debuts at GALA.
The lagoon is a conclave of wealthy homes where the Mendizábal family has raised their son Quintín (Ernesto Concepción), according to strict guidelines of the father, Buenaventura (Juan Luis Acevedo).
Quintín is a vigorous showman whose dominance will never succumb to a woman or love of family. Like his father, he is unwilling to compromise, and his intensity increases as the play progresses alongside the passage of his wife's journey.
Yaiza Figueroa is Isabel, who falls in love with the seemingly suave, "gentle" Quintín on a romantic beach. As their relationship evolves, his controlling father wants to know if Isabel is good enough for his son.
Buenaventura has no trouble convincing the audience that he calls the shots in his family, aided by his charming wife, Rebecca (Luz Nicolás), whose well-tamed behavior is one desired by her offspring for his own wife.
Never without a lit cigarette, Rebecca coddles her husband and son, smiling all the while with soothing deliveries.
But someone forgot to tell Quintín that time moves on and today is not yesteryear.
Quintín and Isabel marry and have a son Manuel (Omar Cruz, excellent in his role as the irreverent son). The years pass, and Isabel struggles with wifely duties vs. her own self-awareness and questions of identity.
She starts writing an autobiography about their families which enrages Quintín when he finds the book that he secretly begins to edit.
At home, the housekeeper, Petra (Evelyn Rosario Vega) maintains some normalcy with a mild demeanor until she, too, can't handle it anymore. Her slower pace, pulled back hair, and halting speech keenly demonstrate the advent of time.
Throughout the performance I held my breath, worrying whether the men would strike, like the vipers they were.
The conclusion was quite the surprise.
Another cast member is María Coral as Coral, Manuel's girlfriend.
Germán Martínez produced savvy sounds and music to forecast rising conflicts and tension on many horizons.
Puerto Rican artist Gerardo Díaz Sánchez designed a minimalist set of dining and living room furniture on opposite sides of the stage to complement the backdrop of frequent video and photo changes of Puerto Rico.(Production by Kelly Colburn.)
Costuming by Jeannette Christensen is realistic with Rebecca's bright, colorful gowns, a welcome visual variation.
Other technical crew members are Jennifer Fok, lighting; Ilyana Rose-Dávila, stage manager and props; Vanessa Losada, production manager; and Hugo Medrano, producer.
La Casa de la Laguna was a finalist for the National Book Award when it was published in 1995. Ms. Ferré (1938-2016) was a leading author in contemporary Latin America who studied at Wellesley College, Manhattanville College, the University of Puerto Rico, and the University of Maryland.
Her father was the third elected governor of Puerto Rico and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for U.S. statehood.
The production is made possible with generous support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Miranda Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts which recently awarded GALA a $150,000 grant from the American Rescue Plan.
GALA will use the money to save jobs and to fund operations and facilities, health and safety supplies, and marketing and promotional efforts to encourage attendance. GALA was one of 567 arts organizations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington, DC. to receive a grant.
GALA audiences are seldom disappointed by anything less than dynamic acting and fascinating stories which capture our minds and send us away on thoughtful adventures.
Duration: About two hours and one intermission
Metro stations: Columbia Heights is one block away or get off at McPherson Square, take bus #52 or #54 up 14th, or, instead of the bus or Metro, walk two miles up 14th, save money and expend calories! Lots of places to eat along the way.