Letter to His Wife Before Execution

Letter Content

Dearest Sweetest Ethel, Never let them change the truth of our innocence. We are innocent, as we have proclaimed and maintained from the time of our arrest. The truth of this must be remembered and brought before the world. We leave that legacy to our children and the world and hopefully our names will be righted before history. Always remember that we were innocent and could not wrong our conscience. We die because we would not be party to a lie. My love for you is unending and eternal. Your strength has been my strength. Your courage has been my courage. In these last hours, I am sustained by the knowledge that our love transcends death. Tell our precious children that I love them with all my heart. Tell them their parents were brave. Tell them we died with honor. All my love forever, Julius

Historical Context

Written hours before Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for conspiracy to commit espionage, accused of passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. The case remains controversial, with many believing Ethel was wrongly convicted.

Significance

A powerful statement of innocence and love in the face of death. The letter reflects the personal tragedy of the Red Scare era and continues to fuel debate about justice, government power, and the death penalty.