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Auction: 313 - Numismatic Collector's Series - Ft. Worth, TX
Lot: 1493

Rosenberg Spy Case: Sobell and Meeropol Unusual group of Typewritten Letters Signed, 1972-74, all to collector Dr David Marcus of Palm Springs, CA, by men associated with the case of convicted spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were found guilty of stealing secrets of the atomic bomb for the Soviet Union. The Rosenbergs were sentenced to death and executed in 1953. The verdict, especially in the case of Ethel Rosenberg, was and remains controversial. The earliest is by songwriter and poet "Abel Meeropol" (1903-86), 1-1/4 pages, 8vo, South Miami, FL, January 15, 1974. Meeropol, best known for his poem "Strange Fruit," which became the basis for the song, had adopted Michael and Robert Rosenberg after their parents´ execution in 1953. He encloses (not present) "some material...regarding the Rosenberg case...Also...a statement regarding the substance of the suit against Louis Nizer [who had written a book supporting the Rosenbergs´ guilt] which the attorney for my sons, Michael and Robert...has made available...There is a paper-back book about the frame-up of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg...entitled INVITATION TO AN INQUEST..." A few days later he sends a brief three-line letter, signed this time as "Lewis Allen," his pen name, with an enclosure (not present) regarding the lawsuit. With two letters signed "MS" by Morton Sobell (born 1917), who was convicted along with the Rosenbergs but received a 30-year sentence rather than the death penalty. He tells Dr Marcus that he cannot send his autograph, for he considers "autograph collecting infantile." In one of the letters, he adds, "I am sorry that you cannot see the difference between autographing one´s work and autographing an empty piece of paper." In very recent years, Sobell has admitted to being a Soviet spy and has made it clear that Julius Rosenberg was also guilty; Ethel´s level of involvement remains uncertain. [5]

Estimate
$300 to $400