John Foster Dulles and Attorney General Herbert Brownell Discuss the Rosenberg Case and Possible Supreme Court Intervention (1953)

Date: June 16, 1953

Original or Replica: Original

Era: The Presidency, The Rosenberg Case

Collection: Eisenhower Presidential Library

Citations: John Foster Dulles Papers, Telephone Conversation Series, Box 1, Telephone Memo May-June 1953 (1); NAID #12608520

This June 16, 1953 memorandum records a telephone conversation between Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and Attorney General Herbert Brownell Jr. concerning two issues facing the Eisenhower administration. The first portion discusses the proposed Bricker Amendment, with Brownell describing efforts to reach a compromise and Dulles emphasizing President Eisenhower’s support for an acceptable agreement. The conversation then turns to the impending execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.

Dulles tells Brownell that he was sending the president and attorney general a summary of foreign opinion concerning the Rosenberg case, demonstrating the administration’s awareness of the case’s international impact. Brownell then raises uncertainty about whether Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas could take action affecting the entire Court. Dulles responds that it was unfortunate the Supreme Court had recently reversed a decision involving Harry Bridges, particularly given the timing. The memorandum provides a glimpse into private discussions among senior Eisenhower administration officials as the Rosenbergs’ scheduled execution approached. It also shows how the case intersected with broader concerns about the Supreme Court, international opinion, and Cold War politics only days before Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were ultimately executed on June 19, 1953.