On June 19, 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed in New York City. The Rosenbergs were sentenced to death under Section 2 of the Espionage Act of 1917, 50 U.S Code 32 ( now 18 U.S Code 794 ), prohibiting attempting to transmit or transmitting of information to foreign government.<\/p>\n
The Rosenbergs were U.S. citizens, spying for the Soviet Union. Convicted for conspiracy to commit espionage. As well as passing information to the Soviets about an atomic bomb. Julius and Ethel took a risk, costing them their lives.<\/p>\n
Committing treason is a crime. Someone who gives out information, betraying their country is a traitor. \u00a0To be a spy, you would need to give up a lot of things. Living a normal life would be hard, considering what you would have to sacrifice to keep your cover. It\u2019s not easy.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder the Code of Military Justice, a military member accused of treason is given a hearing called a court martial,\u201d says Timothy Smedley, former Military officer. \u00a0A person in the military is punished different than a normal civilian. He adds, \u201cIf the person is found guilty of treason they are either given jail time, usually life or the death penalty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt works differently in military court than in a civilian court.\u201d said Smedley. But a civilian should be punished just the same. Smedley states, \u201c Traders to one\u2019s country should be subject to the laws, but it depends on the severity of the crime.\u201d \u00a0He adds, \u201c The death penalty should be given to those people who commit heinous crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those who spy usually have issues with the government. \u201cThey may believe that the government has harmed or wronged them in some way,\u201d stated Smedley. Some are pressured by other countries who are using them to gather intel. \u201cThere is also the possibility that they feel threatened by another government, and may feel as if they do not have a choice,\u201d claims Smedley.<\/p>\n
Being a spy is not something most people choose to do. Those who are involved in espionage are most likely always discovered. \u00a0But even now, spies are not as common. As relationships with foreign countries have improved, these sorts of things have been avoided.<\/p>\n
Jana Ghoul<\/p>\n
Unis Middle School Journalist<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On June 19, 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed in New York City. The Rosenbergs were sentenced to death under Section 2 of the Espionage Act of 1917, 50 U.S Code 32 ( now 18 U.S Code 794 ), prohibiting attempting to transmit or transmitting of information to foreign government. The Rosenbergs were U.S. …<\/p>\n