Rosenberg Children Appeal to Eisenhower to Spare Their Parents from Execution (1953)

Date: February 27, 1953

Original or Replica: Original

Era: The Presidency, The Rosenberg Case

Collection: Eisenhower Presidential Library

Citations: DDE’s Records as President, Official File, Box 354, OF-101-R Amnesty-Pardons, Rosenberg, Julius and Ethel (1); NAID #12166857

This February 27, 1953 White House memorandum for the files records an appeal sent to President Dwight D. Eisenhower by Michael and Robert Rosenberg, the young sons of convicted spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. The memorandum notes that the boys had sent their message to the president on February 16 from Laurel Hill Terrace in New York City. Their appeal was brief and deeply personal: they asked Eisenhower to spare their parents because they did not want to be left without a mother and father.

The memorandum indicates that the children’s message was forwarded to Mr. Shanley on February 27, documenting how the White House processed correspondence related to the Rosenberg case. Unlike legal arguments challenging the Rosenbergs’ convictions or appeals emphasizing the international political consequences of their executions, this document presents the case from the perspective of their children. It illustrates the intense personal appeals that reached the Eisenhower administration as supporters continued seeking presidential intervention.

Although extremely brief, the document provides a powerful human dimension to the Rosenberg clemency controversy. It demonstrates that Eisenhower faced appeals not only from attorneys, political organizations, religious leaders, and foreign governments, but also from the Rosenbergs’ own children as the administration considered whether the death sentences should be allowed to stand.