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Sons of Ethel Rosenberg ask White House to exonerate mother

FILE - In this March 8, 1951 file photo from left, Harry McCabe, Deputy U.S. Marshall; Julius Rosenberg and wife, Eithel Rosenberg and Anthony H. Pavone, Deputy U.S. Marshall in New York. Julius Rosenberg, 33-year old electrical engineer from New York City and his wife were on trial on charges of conspiracy to commit espionage during World War II, involving U.S. atomic secrets. The sons of convicted spy Ethel Rosenberg are asking President Barack Obama to exonerate their mother. Michael and Robert Meeropol were presenting a letter at the White House on Thursday, citing unsealed court records they say cast doubt on their mother’s guilt. (AP Photo)
FILE - In this March 8, 1951 file photo from left, Harry McCabe, Deputy U.S. Marshall; Julius Rosenberg and wife, Eithel Rosenberg and Anthony H. Pavone, Deputy U.S. Marshall in New York. Julius Rosenberg, 33-year old electrical engineer from New York City and his wife were on trial on charges of conspiracy to commit espionage during World War II, involving U.S. atomic secrets. The sons of convicted spy Ethel Rosenberg are asking President Barack Obama to exonerate their mother. Michael and Robert Meeropol were presenting a letter at the White House on Thursday, citing unsealed court records they say cast doubt on their mother’s guilt. (AP Photo) FILE - In this March 8, 1951 file photo from left, Harry McCabe, Deputy U.S. Marshall; Julius Rosenberg and wife, Eithel Rosenberg and Anthony H. Pavone, Deputy U.S. Marshall in New York. Julius Rosenberg, 33-year old electrical engineer from New York City and his wife were on trial on charges of conspiracy to commit espionage during World War II, involving U.S. atomic secrets. The sons of convicted spy Ethel Rosenberg are asking President Barack Obama to exonerate their mother. Michael and Robert Meeropol were presenting a letter at the White House on Thursday, citing unsealed court records they say cast doubt on their mother’s guilt. (AP Photo)

By Associated Press 1 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – The sons of convicted spy Ethel Rosenberg are asking President Barack Obama to exonerate their mother.

Rosenberg was executed, along with her husband, Julius, in 1953 after being convicted in a Cold War atomic spying case that captivated the country.

Michael and Robert Meeropol plan to present a letter Thursday at the White House, citing unsealed court records they say cast doubt on their mother’s guilt.

Court records made public last year show Ethel Rosenberg’s brother, a star trial witness for the prosecution, never implicated his sister in an earlier appearance before a grand jury.

The Meeropols are seeking a White House proclamation declaring that Ethel Rosenberg was wrongly convicted.

The brothers appeared at the White House in 1953 to ask President Dwight Eisenhower to spare their parents’ lives.