Best of AP — Honorable Mention

Latest

Dogged source work leads to exclusive on sensational Ethel Rosenberg spy case 

FILE - Ethel Rosenberg, who along with her husband, Julius, was put to death in 1953 after being convicted of conspiring to steal secrets about the atomic bomb for the Soviet Union is seen in an undated file photo. (AP Photo, File)

Ethel Rosenberg

Eric Tucker scored a significant scoop about one of the most sensational espionage cases in modern American history, exclusively obtaining a newly declassified memo that casts doubt on whether Ethel Rosenberg, who was executed along with her husband in 1953, was really a spy.  

The memo that Tucker obtained, written by a top US government codebreaker during the Cold War, concluded that though Ethel knew about her husband’s work she didn’t engage it in herself. The revelation complicates the public narrative about the Rosenbergs and adds to the mounting questions about the criminal case. 

The scoop was the result of source work and trust. Tucker was provided the memo by Ethel Rosenberg’s son in recognition of prior stories over the last decade about the case. He spoke several times to the men in reporting out the story, but in order to make it more complete, he also interviewed multiple historians who viewed the memo through a different light and were less convinced than the Rosenbergs’ sons that the document amounted to a complete vindication. 

Visit AP.org to request a trial subscription to AP’s video, photo and text services.

For breaking news, visit apnews.com.

Contact us
FOLLOW AP