Emanuel Hirsch Bloch
| Emanuel Hirsch Bloch | |
|---|---|
Bloch on June 19, 1953 in Washington, DC
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| Born | 1901 |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. |
| Known for | Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Trenton Six |
| Parent(s) | Alexander Bloch |
Emanuel Hirsch Bloch (1901 – January 30, 1954) was an American attorney known for defending clients associated with left-wing and Communist causes. He and Marshall Perlin defended Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
Biography
He was born in 1901 to Alexander Bloch, an attorney.[1] He defended Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and Julius wrote to Bloch that Julius himself was "the first victim of American Fascism".[2][3]
Two weeks before the date scheduled for their deaths, the Rosenbergs were visited by James V. Bennett, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. After the meeting they issued a statement: "Yesterday, we were offered a deal by the Attorney General of the United States. We were told that if we cooperated with the Government, our lives would be spared. By asking us to repudiate the truth of our innocence, the Government admits its own doubts concerning our guilt. We will not help to purify the foul record of a fraudulent conviction and a barbaric sentence. We solemnly declare, now and forever more, that we will not be coerced, even under pain of death, to bear false witness and to yield up to tyranny our rights as free Americans. Our respect for truth, conscience and human dignity is not for sale. Justice is not some bauble to be sold to the highest bidder. If we are executed it will be the murder of innocent people and the shame will be upon the Government of the United States." [4]
It is surprising that Bloch did not encourage Julius to make the confession that would have saved the life of his wife. He would not have had to name anybody other than Harry Gold and David Greenglass who had already made full confessions. It has been suggested that Bloch was under the orders of the Communist Party of the United States who realised that the execution of Ethel would give them a cause that would provide them with propaganda against the "inhumanity of capitalism". [5]
Following their executions, Bloch delivered the eulogy at their funeral and he served as guardian for Michael Meeropol and Robert Meeropol until they were adopted.[1] He also defended the Trenton Six. He died of a heart attack at age 52 on January 30, 1954 in his Manhattan apartment.[1][3][6][7]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Statement issued by the Julius and Ethel Rosenberg after the visit of James V. Bennett, Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (May, 1953)
- ↑ http://spartacus-educational.com/Emanuel_Bloch.htm
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
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