The National Rosenberg Defence Committee (NRDC) was a British civil liberties organization formed to defend

Ethel and Julius Rosenberg Julius Rosenberg (May 12, 1918 – June 19, 1953) and Ethel Rosenberg (; September 28, 1915 – June 19, 1953) were American citizens who were convicted of spying on behalf of the Soviet Union. The couple were convicted of providing top-secret i ...

and seek clemency for them.

History

The National Rosenberg Defence Committee was formed in England in 1952 as the British counterpart to the US-based National Committee to Secure Justice in the Rosenberg Case, also known as the Rosenberg Committee. Committee members included Felicity Whittaker, Percy Belcher, Rev.

Stanley Evans Stanley Norman Evans (1 February 1898 – 25 June 1970) was a British industrialist and Labour Party politician. He served very briefly as an Agriculture Minister in the post-war Attlee government but was forced to resign when he claimed that f ...

, and D.N. Pritt, QC. Belcher served as Secretary. The organization sought support by holding public rallies as well as by writing letters to labor unions, leftist groups, and Jewish publications throughout the UK. Many British writers expressed support for the committee, including

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Under ...

, Sean O'Casey. On June 12 of 1954,

W. E. B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American-Ghanaian sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in ...

wrote a letter of sympathy to the committee's commemoration meeting. Hours prior to the execution of the Rosenbergs, around 20 members of the Committee went to the London home of Prime Minister

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

to deliver a note requesting that Churchill directly appeal "to President Eisenhower over the Transatlantic telephone immediately." Churchill responded with a note saying "It is not within my duty or my power to intervene in this matter. (Signed) Winston Churchill."

References

{{reflist

External links

National Rosenberg Defence Committee records
Online Archive of California 1952 establishments in England Civil rights organisations in the United Kingdom Communism in England Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Socialist organisations in the United Kingdom

History

See also

References

External links