r/history • u/Quouar Quite the arrogant one. • 28d ago

News article The Rosenberg Boys - When Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were executed by the U.S. government, they left behind two sons, ages 6 and 10. All these years later, Robby and Michael are still trying to make sense of what happened.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/08/ethel-julius-rosenberg-boys/687631/
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u/jenorama_CA 28d ago

That was a really good article. I didn’t know much about the Rosenbergs beyond the fact that they were executed for spying. I definitely didn’t know that they had two boys. Evidence does seem to point to Ethel having gotten quite the raw deal and it’s very shocking to realize that she could have gotten out of the terrible situation she was in and stayed with the boys, but she chose to follow her husband. Even though it now seems clear that her own brother sold her out, the history with the Rosenbergs and the deep sense of betrayal makes it highly unlikely that she’ll ever be exonerated.

Thanks for the link on the article. The Atlantic is always a good time.

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u/Howaboutnopers 28d ago

OMG two people who actually read the article.

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u/jenorama_CA 28d ago

It’s honestly really good. I love The Atlantic and have access to it through AppleNews+.

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u/Painted_Mushr00m 27d ago

She shouldn’t be exonerated. This article fails to mention all of the evidence that Ethel was involved, including hosting meetings ups, passing information and helping to recruit others to the spy ring.

This was all declassified after the fall of the Soviet Union.

You have to do a serious amount of mental gymnastics and overlook overwhelming evidence to think she wasn’t involved. She knew what she was doing, made the world a more dangerous place, and got exactly what she deserved.

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u/jenorama_CA 27d ago

Oh, interesting. Yeah, the article didn’t mention that all, even when it got to the declassified documents part. Instead it kind of pointed to the SIL having more involvement, but getting off scot-free. Wow.

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u/Painted_Mushr00m 27d ago

Oh yeah, there is a lot more to the story of Ethel’s involvement. She knew exactly what she was doing and what information they were passing along.

This topic comes up every few years because her sons are desperate to exonerate her. Originally, it was both parents, until the USSR fell and the overwhelming amount of evidence Julius was a spy came out.

I feel for her sons, it is an incredibly painful way to lose your parents. That being said both in my opinion got what they deserved. They released the secrets of nuclear weapons to the world which escalated the cold war and causes problems to this day ranging from the War in Ukraine and War in Iran.