Judge Refuses to Unseal Grand Jury Testimony of Ethel Rosenberg’s Brother
A federal judge in Manhattan will release the grand jury testimony of about three dozen witnesses in the espionage case against Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. But the testimony of Ethel Rosenberg’s brother, David Greenglass, will remain secret for now.
Acknowledging government objections, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled against a request for Greenglass’ testimony by a group led by the National Security Archives, the New York Times reports.
Greenglass, a co-conspirator in the case and a key witness, is now 86 years old. He objected to the release of his testimony. He testified against Ethel and Julius Rosenberg to prevent the prosecution of his wife. Later he recanted his allegations that Ethel Rosenberg had typed some of his spy notes, the Times story says.
The government did not object to release of the testimony of three dozen other witnesses who died or did not object to disclosure, according to a press release by the archives. Hellerstein was expected to release that testimony soon, but he withheld a ruling on the testimony of nine others who refused to consent or who could not be found.
Historian David Oshinsky told the Times that the testimony may shed more light on the role of Ethel Rosenberg in the spy case. “My sense is that what this may do is further implicate Julius while to some degree further exonerating Ethel,” he said.
CNN.com also has coverage of the ruling.
