by Arno Baker
Yatskov went on,
“There is a pattern we have seen before…namely a vast purge of the organs. In fact it will certainly reduce our ability to attract ideological agents, volunteers like King who have helped us so much in the past at little or no cost.”
Feklisov wanted to avoid potentially dangerous conversations and brought everybody back to their immediate problems,
“We now know how the network was uncovered, the question remains how to handle the matter going forward. If the USSR as a matter of policy needs to deny that the King network ever existed, or that King and Kaliber were agents then we must hope that King will observe the strictest discipline and not confess. The problem will be to ensure that his wife Ethel does the same. I know him to be strong and highly motivated but that was five years ago, people and feelings change as in the case of Kaliber. Now his brother in law will soon follow. If King retained his beliefs then I know he will not break and the damage may be contained. If not, well then anything can happen and our efforts will be in vain.”
Less than one month later Julius Rosenberg was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit espionage following the confession and full cooperation of David Greenglass. Ruth also agreed to cooperate and was treated as a friendly witness. The Greenglasses tried to convince the Rosenbergs to do the same. In August 1950 Ethel‘s name was added to the indictment along with Morton Sobell who had attempted to flee to Mexico. He made a clumsy attempt to contact NKGB operatives at the Soviet consulate in Vera Cruz to secure passage to the USSR. But unlike Al Sarant who cleverly went to the Polish embassy, Sobel was far too conspicuous and erratic.
The prosecutors were building their case hoping for the breakdown of all the members of the network along the lines of David Greenglass, with full confessions and guilty pleas. It was during those early stages that Julius received an unmistakable message through his lawyer Emmanuel Block: both he and Ethel were to refuse all cooperation and plead not guilty on all counts. The same message was passed on to Morton Sobell. All three decided to follow the orders issued by Moscow Center knowing that they were cogs in a well planned strategy of no admission of guilt and no cooperation.
In Moscow the fate of the Rosenbergs and Sobell was now beyond the reach of Soviet espionage. Their conviction to death in March 1951 while the Korean War was raging could have been commuted only through a change of their plea to guilty. It would have required that they name all the participants in the network. Moscow remained uncertain about their pledge to follow orders. Feklisov was not convinced this was the best strategy and wanted to use a major diplomatic overture by Stalin in March 1952 to try a different approach and avoid the execution of the Rosenbergs.
Once news of the diplomatic initiative became public Feklisov approached Yatskov,
“Now that we are attempting to end the Cold War perhaps we could ask the leadership to reconsider its position on the Rosenbergs? Do you think that could be possible?”
“What do you have in mind?”
“If the USSR secretly admits to the Americans that they were in fact working for us their sentence could be commuted and they could be bartered for several American spies we are holding. We show how generous we are and bring them both to Russia then use them for propaganda purposes.”
“And Sobell?”
“He was given 30 years and could easily be part of the deal as well.”
Yatskov couldn’t predict how the idea would be received at the top but he agreed to circulate it. The response came back very quickly and had all the characteristics of originating with Stalin himself.
“Under no circumstances will the organs ever acknowledge that any specific foreign agent had engaged in espionage for the USSR. The Rosenbergs as far as we know were never employed even remotely by the services. They are therefore being framed by the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department because of their progressive ideas and because they are Jewish.”
Even though this explanation came in the wake of the persecution of the Jewish Anti Fascist Committee in the Soviet Union, the Slansky Trial in Prague and the Doctor’s Plot no one dared to question the logic behind those assertions.
The Rosenbergs were sentenced to die on the electric chair but several appeals kept their execution from being carried out as the Korean War dragged on with mounting U.S. casualties. Harry Truman was happy to leave the decision to grant clemency to the Rosenbergs to his successor Dwight D. Eisenhower who was elected president in November 1952. In December the Slansky trial in Prague ended with the gruesome mass hangings of Czech Communist Party leaders many of whom were Jewish.
The Cold War showed no signs of abating even though public opinion was growing weary of the constant threats of nuclear war that the press never missed an opportunity to restate. Meanwhile Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were in Sing Sing Penitentiary and had become the object of a worldwide campaign for clemency. Mass demonstrations in major cities around the world were requesting that they be spared and appeals were being signed by thousands of citizens. But most of these sincere efforts only strengthened American intransigence in the face of what was clearly seen as a major case of treason and atomic espionage. The McCarthy era was in full swing.
In late December 1952 at Sing Sing, Julius Rosenberg agreed to see a visitor, Rabbi Isadore Goldmann whom he‘d never met before. They talked behind a glass partition and in the presence of armed guards.
Goldmann was an older man, conservatively dressed with a grey beard, a black homburg and a calm and deliberate manner.
“Mr. Rosenberg or may I call you Julius?”
Julius was in his prison garb and looked exactly like his photographs. He was very calm and collected, just as one would expect a true believer to behave in such circumstances.
“As you wish.” He answered with a smile.
“Julius then! My name is Rabbi Isadore Goldmann from New York City. I come as the representative of a group of rabbis and Jewish groups with a message for you that I hope you will at least agree to listen to. … I‘m sure you‘ve read about the trials in Prague?”
Julius had a faint smile as if he expected what was to follow and answered,
“Yes, I have. I read the papers.”
“Good, that‘s very good. Those whom I represent and myself think you will understand the immense value that a gesture on your part would have for our people, the Jewish people, at this critical time. Jews are still being put on trial and executed only because they are Jews behind the Iron Curtain. This is now clear and is plainly visible for all to see with those horrible executions. What Hitler and the Nazis perpetrated is continuing under a different regime for different reasons...”
“Forgive me but I really don’t see your point, Rabbi.”
“The fact is that Soviet Russia has embarked on a comprehensive anti-Semitic policy that uses the code words of anti-Zionism to cover widespread discrimination and persecution.”
“Once again Rabbi, what bearing does any of this have on my case?”
“Well Julius, it has a direct relationship to you and your wife‘s predicament. Look, I know you are not a religious person and that you are a dedicated Marxist-Leninist. Fine, I am not here to argue those points with you, you are free to hold such positions, after all, even though you might disagree with me you are lucky to be a citizen of the United States of America! But now you face the inescapable reality of the death penalty. Probably for something you didn’t even do or are not truly guilty of.
I am convinced there is a way for you to save yourself and your wife Ethel even at this late date and after the rejection of the appeals. You can save yourself and live for your children, Julius! It is my opinion and that of my friends that a simple way out is open should you agree to make a gesture, a declaration of solidarity and of compassion for the Jews of the world who are still threatened. If you cooperate with the Department of Justice, you will be granted clemency. Your life and Ethel’s life will be spared! You see, my group, and I in particular, feel that it would be very bad not ju
st for you but also for our community if this death sentence is in fact carried out.”
Julius first listened carefully and kept silent while the Rabbi was speaking. Then he looked straight at his visitor,
“Look Rabbi Goldman, you seem like a sincere person and you made an effort to come all the way up here to try and convince me. But now why don’t you just come out and say what’s really on your mind?”
Rabbi Goldman cleared his throat,
“What we suggest is that you make a statement about the Prague trial and the executions. You need not break with Communism as such or make any other dramatic personal decisions. Just agree to make a statement in defense of the Jews of the world who are facing the danger of a new persecution. The statement could be in writing or even given verbally to a journalist or to myself but you would agree to sign off on it for broadcast, of course.”
Julius smiled,
“You make this sound so easy. One fine day, just like that I issue a statement, meaning that I turn my back on my comrades, on my friends! On my wife! I know you are appealing to very strong bonds and doing so sincerely Rabbi! But it just doesn’t work that way for me...”
Because of Julius’ body language and judging from the pained expression on the man’s face the rabbi was convinced that he had touched a sensitive chord and was very close to succeeding.
“I can assure you Julius that such a stand on your part would go a long way towards helping our people and would be viewed very positively in your favor! It would save your life and Ethel’s life and allow you to see your boys grow up.”
“Sure, sure so I get life in prison and parole in thirty years or less maybe? Or I can even be released sooner on good behavior? Who knows? The main point is that I get to save my life, correct? But don‘t you see how tainted a statement from a man on death row can be? How can anyone take it seriously even if I were to agree? I am a prisoner of the Capitalist State, an innocent victim of the System! I have no freedom whatsoever! If I were on the outside I‘d be the first one to say that such a statement was obtained through intimidation or worse. It would be tainted and meaningless anyway.”
Goldman had listened carefully and respectfully to what Julius was saying and he seemed genuinely moved by the issues he was raising.
“It‘s not just yourself Julius, there’s Ethel and your two wonderful boys. Have you considered them for a moment? Are you so certain that any political faith is as precious as you are to them, alive and able to offer support and direction? I know, you’ll tell me ‘How can I be a real father if I am to spend most of my life in prison?’ And yet I would answer that a live parent who went wrong is always better than a dead one. And from what I know of the motives that made you do what you are accused of I am certain that your live example would always be better for your two boys than to condemn them both to a lifelong search for their father!”
For the first time Julius was genuinely distraught and was holding his head in both his hands as the Rabbi could see his shoulders shaking. Those words had an impact and struck at the core of Julius’ doubts. He finally looked up,
“Don‘t you think I‘ve never had those nightmares? Every hour that takes me closer to the chair, I think about it. I have lots of free time to think in here, so all the things you are saying are very much on my mind. Yet, somehow, none of it fits me, it fails to match my situation and my true innocence. I’m on a different side than you, Rabbi. My choice was made a long time ago when I gave my allegiance to the party of the working class, to the cause of the workers, and to the international. The rest was all secondary and now appears meaningless.
I knew that a proposal such as the one you bring to me today was bound to come. I imagined that it would reach me disguised as something else, bearing some kind of mask and it does, it is the mask of religion, of centuries-old belief. I also knew from the beginning that my answer would have to be negative because I also seek coherence in my life. I know about my boys better than you, if I were to die they will suffer, yes… it was part of their destiny since they are mine and therefore are also part of the choices I made. I knew there was no simple way out of this ‘activity’ as you call it. It demands the kind of sacrifice that only a few martyrs can hope to make. But in the end there I have no choice...people will speculate about this situation for decades but my path is clear and sharply drawn, I must follow it to the end…I must, even though it will cost me dearly,...I have to decline your request and your offer however well intentioned they are.”
The rabbi became alarmed that the door on a possible compromise was suddenly being slammed shut.
“Julius, please understand, I am not expecting an immediate answer. Take some time and think about it. The consequences would be even more momentous should you decide to make a statement that you had written yourself. It would have the impact of a tidal wave in America, in Europe and all over the world. The Jewish people need help right now, look at what is happening in Israel…”
“Rabbi, the Jews have suffered and have decided by creating a confessional state in a disputed land to suffer even more. They will be condemned to fight incessantly for that state when they should have kept religion as a private issue and joined the worker’s movement. Zionism is not the answer. My reply to you must therefore be no. I understand what you are seeking and I just can’t give you what you want.”
“Please don’t turn your back on this; keep your options open. Think of your boys, Julius!”
Rosenberg got up and turned to the guard,
“I want to go back to my cell now.”
“You can always reach me through the warden, Julius please don‘t turn your back on life!”
Part Three
Disinformation
XXVII
Moscow 1995...Irina had never actually seen the man who was sitting on the couch in the safe house just off Gorky Street in downtown Moscow before. A shadowy figure in the organs, Vyacheslav Mostovoy was known officially as the director of the North American Studies Institute, a cover organization that thrived since the 1960s as the main conduit into the western cultural media and the press as well the most influential cultural and intellectual circles. He had been secretly promoted to the rank of “general” in the SVR and was in charge of the most covert and sensitive operations targeting the United States and Great Britain. His trademark thick horn rimmed glasses and bushy black mustache were legendary along with his impeccable language skills and old world manners that had opned up the gates of Buckingham palace when he introduce a few of the most acclaimed Russian writers to the Queen of England.
Mostovoy was however a shrewd and very effective control officer for sophisticated cultural operations into the west and the Feklisov memoir definitely fit that category. As soon as he began to speak Irina understood that he had to be the true mover behind the whole operation.
The general wasted no time and came right to the point,
“Captain Orlova, my pleasure...we have little time and I must get back to the institute. We are worried about the colonel’s health and state of mind. The project has been going on much too long and your rigid handling of an older man has not been, shall we say, particularly felicitous?”
Irina was surprised and terrified by the negative inference and expected to hear that she was being demoted or even fired. But then she thought, if they were going to fire her why have a meeting with such an important person as Mostovoy? So she took a neutral tone and answered,
“I am trying to change the pace and…”
“Never mind that captain. The objective for this mission has changed focus. It‘s time to shut down the writing part which will be completed by the team. We need to prepare for the actual sale of the property to an American publisher and be sure he can turn it into a bestseller. If that is not possible there are a few alternatives to explore but the immediate task for you is to “nurse” the old colonel back to his happy, healthy and vigorous self.”
Mostovoy smiled again and lit a cigarette.
“So
the text part is now closed?” she asked.
“Yes, therefore you must change your attitude and tell the colonel how pleased everyone is at the top with what they view as a very successful work. Make him happy and promise him whatever he wants. We will see about delivering later on. The doctors told us that he’s in excellent health but must be kept happy to avoid a second heart attack and he must be ready mentally and physically to travel to America…”
“So, what are my new orders?”
Mostovoy smiled appreciatively and looked at his watch,
“What we have decided will no doubt cause him to go wild with excitement. You must keep Feklisov quiet and secure both physically and emotionally, he must feel happy and look forward to a visit to the location of his most exciting and rewarding time of service. A promotional trip of sorts.”
Irina knew she had had no choice but to enthusiastically accept her new role but some details had to be ironed out, “But then wasn’t that...Natasha‘s role? I mean playing the “geisha” part...”
The director exhaled and nodded as he said without any irony,
“Yes, of course. You have studied the colonel‘s file haven‘t you? You know the kind of sexual predator he can be with younger women. It’s the macho-type conquest he enjoys and you shall set yourself up as the next female he will want to dominate.”
“I understand. In other words I am to become a honeytrap once more …”
“Captain Orlova, must I remind you that your career advancement in the organs was based on your expertise in such matters?” he answered in a matter of fact voice.
Mostovoy took off his glasses and looked at Irina from top to bottom as though he were examining a prize cow at a country fair. She twisted her mouth but said nothing and lowered her eyes wanting to forget those early years when her youth and beauty were being heavily abused by the KGB in the seduction of Western and Asian visitors to the USSR. It was rarely a pleasant experience for her even though she tried to play her part as the lusty and cheerful “comfort lady” with a brain. He put his glasses back on and continued undaunted by her lack of enthusiasm,
