Bid to release 'Cold War' couple Rosenbergs' records

Historians will today seek the release of US grand jury records in the case of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, whose espionage trial for passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union became a defining moment in the Cold War.

Fifty-five years after their execution, there are still questions unanswered about the extent of the espionage.

Historians hope an unsealing of the grand jury record of the investigation will help shed light on the matter.

The National Security Archive at George Washington University and the American Historical Association are among the groups making the request which will be filed today in US District Court.

Grand jury records, which ordinarily remain secret, may reveal the scope of the Rosenberg spy rings, which extended beyond the atomic espionage for which they were executed, Yale University historian John Lewis Gaddis said in court papers accompanying the request.

Accused of relaying to the Soviet Union secrets of the atomic bomb, the couple allegedly recruited Ethel Rosenberg’s brother, David Greenglass, who worked at the site of the first atom bomb test in New Mexico.

Mr Greenglass became a star witness against the Rosenbergs, testifying that he saw his sister transcribing his spy notes on a typewriter.

In recent years, Mr Greenglass has said that he lied about the typewriter – and some other matters – to save himself and his wife.

While decoded Soviet messages released in recent years indicate that Julius Rosenberg was indeed a spy, supporters say nothing he contributed to the Soviets - and certainly nothing his wife did - warranted their execution.