Cooper hated yourself because you were. Michael meeropol i was denying. I was too scared to admit that my parents were my parents. Cooper being the rosenbergs children in 1950 was almost like being osama bin ladens kids here after 9 11. Their parents were convicted and executed for being two of the most damaging spies ever. So why are the children speaking out now . Because they have a message for president obama. Im steve kroft. Im leslie stahl. Im bill whitaker. Im anderson cooper. Im scott pelley. Those stories, tonight on 60 minutes. Cbs money watch, sponsored by American Express open. Proud supporter of growing businesses. Good evening. Wells fargo is facing fallout from last months banking scandal. New checking accounts and credit card applications are down more than 25 . Netflix, ibm and bank of america report earnings tomorrow, and workers at distilleries in kentucky are now on strike. Im elaine quijano, cbs news. Hey, evan. So, youre stuck at a work thing. With directv and at t you can stream all your favorite shows without using your data. That makes you more powerful than a table for 60. Wednesdays are the new thursdays or the mandatory after party. How early is too early to leave . Youre not going anywhere. Im not going anywhere. Its your tv, take it with you. Watch all your live channels, on your devices, data free. Man, im glaaflac c pays cash. Isnt Major Medical enough . No whos gonna help cover the holes in their plans . Aflac like rising copays and deductibles. Aflac or help pay the mortgage . Or child care . Aflaaac and everyday expenses . Aflac learn about one day pay at aflac. Com boat blurlbrlblrlbr whitaker last september, president obama announced his goal of resettling 10,000 Syrian Refugees in the United States. A year later, almost 13,000 have been admitted, and more are coming. Donald trump has said that tens of thousands of syrians, mostly young men, are entering the u. S. And we dont know who they are because we have no system to vet them. He has said many times he wants to stop all syrians from entering the country. Hes not alone. A majority of u. S. Governors have called for a halt to the refugee program, too. The syrians who are finding refuge in the u. S. Now find themselves at the center of a heated debate, pitting our american tradition of altruism against our fear of terrorism. We wanted to see for ourselves who these refugees are and what is the vetting process. This is zaatari refugee camp in jordan, about seven miles from the syrian border. 80,000 Syrian Refugees living in tiny, steel boxes as far as the eye can see. The camp run by the u. N. Sprang out of the jordanian desert in 2012 as millions of refugees poured out of syria. Its now the largest syrian refugee camp in the middle east. Gina kassem every refugee here lives now in prefab housing. Whitaker gina kassem oversees the Refugee Resettlement program in the middle east and north africa for the u. S. State department. She says the u. S. Is now processing an additional 21,000 syrian refugee applications for relocation to the United States. Kassem mostly we focus on victims of torture, survivors of violence, womenheaded households, a lot of severe medical cases. Whitaker kassem told us each syrian refugee who makes it to the United States goes through a lengthy process of interviews and background checks. You know, there are Many Americans who dont trust government to fix the roads or run the schools. How can you convince them that this process is going to keep them safe . Kassem because they undergo so many steps of vetting, so many interviews, so many intelligence screenings, so many checks along the way. Theyre fleeing the terrorists who killed their family members, who destroyed their houses. These are the victims that we are helping through our program. Whitaker the war in syria has taken the lives of almost a half million people, leveled entire cities and created the largest refugee crisis since the end of world war ii. Syrias neighbor, jordan, has been overwhelmed with nearly 1. 5 million refugees in the camps and in the cities. Any who can, make their way here, to the capital. For the lucky few, this is where the long road to the u. S. Begins. Everyday, thousands of Syrian Refugees line up here in amman, jordan, to register with the u. N. Every single refugee is interviewed in detail multiple times by the u. N. For their Vital Statistics where they came from, who they know. Their irises are scanned to establish their identity. And then, they wait for the chance the u. N. Might refer them to the United States. Less than 1 will get that chance. For that 1 , the next step is this state department Resettlement Center in amman for a background check led by speciallytrained department of Homeland Security interrogators. Like all Syrian Refugees being vetted, this family was questioned at least three times by interviewers looking for gaps or inconsistencies in their stories. All that information is then run though u. S. Security databases for any red flags. To be a refugee in jordan is to be patient. The u. S. Security check goes on an average of 1824 months. speaking arabic those who pass are told to pack up for their new life in the United States. This family had just been told they are moving to chicago, illinois. What are you feeling right now . Wife i am afraid. We dont know anything. Whitaker just before they go, they are given a crash course on life in the u. S. , america 101. Teacher english, education or experience. Whitaker most know little about where they are moving. Those we spoke to didnt really care. They know exactly what they are leaving behind. We met sulaf and her 15yearold daughter, joody, in amman this past august. So, now, youre going to the United States. Do you know where . Sulaf North Carolina. Whitaker what do you know about North Carolina . Sulaf i dont know. laughs i dont know. Nice. Nice city. Whitaker sulaf was an Elementary School teacher back in homs, syria; her husband, a dentist. She says they had a good life until syrian president assads forces turned their lives into a living hell. She says they would hear the sounds of other buildings collapsing, and they would tell themselves, were next. She started giving her kids sleeping pills so they could sleep. Sulafs daughter, joody, was ten years old at the time. You remember all this . Joody everything. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was very scary. We cannot go to the. To the school. Most of my friends death. Whitaker most of your friends are dead . Joody yes. Whitaker sulaf says she is lucky she made it to jordan alive with her family and her parents. She has one sister in bombed out aleppo, another in isis controlled territory. But jordan is where her husband ahmads luck ran out. He was found to have lou gherigs disease, and died in 2014. Her youngest son, malaz, was diagnosed with autism but the family couldnt find treatment. This past august, sulaf was cleared by Homeland Security to travel to the u. S. It was just in time. She was considering taking her family on the treacherous journey to europe by boat, in order to get malaz the help he needs. She told us, if she tried to cross the ocean to europe and they made it, they made it; if they died, they died. Theres no difference between death and life in this place. She says she cant work, she cant educate her children, she has no opportunity. So, a new life in america is your only hope . Sulaf yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Whitaker we met ekbal and his wife eman in their apartment in jordan this past august as they were preparing to leave for the u. S. Ekbal owned a Clothing Store in daraa, syria, before the war. He says he was arrested and tortured, accused of being a foreign spy by assads forces just for watching a protest outside his store. You said that the men who arrested you said, no one will know what happened to you. You believe that the best possible option is that you die quickly, he said. You felt that it might be better if you were to die. Death is mercy at this point. When ekbal was released, the family fled syria. After a nearly twoyear vetting process, they were cleared by u. S. Homeland security. Last month, they moved into this empty apartment in riverdale, maryland. They say its lonely, but ekbal has figured out the local bus. Ekbal i want this. Whitaker . And just got a parttime job at the local 711. Opening our doors to refugees like ekbal is a proud part of americas heritage, but last year, when paris was attacked by isis fighters killing 130 civilians, Many Americans wanted to slam the doors shut. A syrian passport was found on one of the suicide bombers, who had entered europe with the flood of Syrian Refugees. That prompted 31 u. S. Governors to call for a complete halt to the syrian refugee program. Georgias republican governor, nathan deal, went further and signed an executive order denying state services to Syrian Refugees. It turned out that bomber wasnt syrian after all; he was part of a sophisticated isis plot to get radicals into europe. But it cast a shadow of suspicion over all Syrian Refugees. Mohammad, his wife ebtesam and son hasan were among the first Syrian Refugees to arrive in the u. S. They settled in georgia just weeks after the attacks in paris. At first, i was worried, he said. But i told myself that theres no way i would be mistreated in this country because this is a country of laws. Mohammad and his family were sponsored by the Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in deep republican marietta, georgia, just outside atlanta. Pastor wright in romans chapter 13, its very clear that. Whitaker with governor deal banning services, the Church Stepped in to support the family. Senior pastor byrant wright, a former president of the Southern Baptist convention. Pastor wright the concern, obviously, is over illegal immigrants. Whitaker . Found himself in a political firestorm, at odds with the governor, a man he voted for. Pastor wright well, see, our calling, bill, is far higher to follow christ and do what christ teaches us to do than whether theres an r or a d behind your name. And thats what weve got to live by, far more than what people are hearing on talk radio, or on the news or from political candidates. Whitaker wright wrote a letter to governor deal, asking him to reconsider his position. Did he respond . Pastor wright no, he didnt respond. Whitaker governor deal didnt respond to 60 minutes, either. Last december, he was forced to withdraw his ban when georgias attorney general found it to be illegal. Since then, this christian church, working with u. S. Refugee resettlement agencies world relief and lutheran services, has gone on to sponsor seven more muslim families from syria. In july, mohammad, ebtesam and hasan welcomed their cousin nouras and his family of six. Volunteer welcome to your new home. Whitaker here in the atlanta area, volunteers and case workers help newcomers from the beginning, getting them settled into new homes. Good. Whitaker . And teaching them to use an a. T. M. Youre cleaning your room. Right. Whitaker the refugees are given english tutoring and help finding jobs. This past summer, mohammod was able to pay his bills on his own for the first time. Hes working at a Catering Company owned by a church member. Hassan has started kindergarten, and slowly they say they are starting to feel at home here. Ebtesam i feeling this country, my country. Mohammad my country, yes. Whitaker pastor wright told us he is isnt naiive about the potential risks of allowing in Syrian Refugees. Pastor wright the government has decided 10,000 Syrian Refugees are coming. Thats not our decision. Isnt it better to reach out and love these folks than to give them the Cold Shoulder . Which approach do you think might cause a muslim refugee to be more sympathetic to islamic terrorism . Which approach . To me, its a nobrainer. Whitaker for many members of congress, faith in the governments ability to properly vet refugees is misguided. Paul ryan when we know that isil is already telling us that they are trying to infiltrate the refugee population, dont you think that common sense dictates we should take a pause and get this right . Whitaker can you tell the American People that this vetting is safe . Jeh johnson i can tell the American People it is probably the most cumbersome, thorough vetting process by which any immigrant comes into the United States. Whitaker secretary of Homeland Security jeh johnson told us the situation in the u. S. Is vastly different from europe, which saw its borders flooded with unvetted refugees. Johnson if we dont feel we know enough about you, were not going to admit you. Whitaker out of all the people youre letting in, how. How many are being denied . Johnson thousands have been denied admission to this country, and an even larger number who are on hold. Whitaker there is no known case of a syrian refugee being involved in any terror plot in the United States, but in 2009, the u. S. Missed this iraqi refugee and allowed him in, even though the military knew he had been an insurgent fighting u. S. Forces. He and another iraqi refugee were then caught in kentucky trying to buy a stinger missile to kill u. S. Soldiers in iraq. How does this guy walk into america . Johnson with every case from years ago, there should be lessons learned. Whitaker things have changed. Johnson things have changed. Whitaker . Since then . Johnson . Considerably since then. We have, on my watch, added social media and other checks, consulting additional databases. Weve added those checks in the face of the worldwide refugee crisis that we see right now. Whitaker last month, sulaf and her children flew from jordan to their new home in cary, North Carolina. She says it took 18 months of security checks for her to make it here. Shes now learning to navigate an American Grocery store. Sulaf potatoes . Volunteer potatoes inside . Sulaf yes. Volunteer there may be an opportunity. Whitaker . And is anxious to find a job. Their new life in america isnt easy, but for the first time in a long time, sulaf says she has hope. Sulaf and on behalf for me and my kids, i. I would like thanks for peop. American people and American Government for this chance. And thank you very, very, very much. And ours. Save our children. One smart choice leads to the next. The new 2017 ford fusion is here. Its the beauty of a wellmade choice. Watry. Duo fusiong heartburn relief . Duo fusion goes to work in seconds and lasts up to 12 hours. Tums only lasts up to 3. For longer lasting relief. In one chewable tablet try duo fusion from the makers of zantac but with this usp seal i know seaexactlyap. Whats in my nature made gummies. Nature made has the first gummy certified by usp. A Non Profit Organization that sets purity and potency standards. And i didnt get here alone. There were people who listened along the way. People who gave me options. Kept me on track. And through it all, my retirement never got left behind. So today, im prepared for anything we may want tomorrow to be. Every someday needs a plan. Lets talk about your old 401 k today. Cooper before he leaves office, president obama will have to sort through more than 13,000 petitions from federal prisoners seeking pardons or reduced sentences. But one of the most unusual requests he has been asked to consider concerns two people who were already executed more than 60 years ago. It was called the crime of the century. In 1953, julius and Ethel Rosenberg were sent to the electric chair for conspiring to provide the secrets of the atomic bomb to the soviet union. They left behind two little boys, robert and michael, just six and ten years old at the time. The brothers rosenberg were the orphans of communist spies at the height of the mccarthy era. Relatives were afraid to take them in. One town blocked them from attending its schools. What ever happened to those two little boys . Theyre the ones asking president obama to proclaim that their mother was wrongfully convicted. Its a remarkable story, a piece of American History that hasnt been fully told. People would ask you . Michael meeropol oh, yeah, are you related to those two spies . No. But i really hated myself. Cooper hated yourself because you were. Michael meeropol i was denying. I was too scared to admit that my parents were my parents. Robert meeropol we were the children of communist spies. Cooper being the rosenbergs children in 1950 was almost like being osama bin ladens kids here after 9 11. Today, theyre known by their adopted names, michael and robert meeropol; but in 1950, they were michael and robby rosenberg, ages seven and three, living in new york citys Lower East Side with their parents, julius and Ethel Rosenberg. The rosenbergs were ardent communists, but michael doesnt recall his parents ever using that word. Ethel was a stayathome mom who loved to sing; julius, an engineer who ran a small machine shop. Thats michael on his shoulders. Michael meeropol my father would take me to places like Prospect Park and, you know, get some peanuts and feed squirrels. Cooper what was he like . Michael meeropol he was very energetic. He had a smile on his face a heck of a lot of times. And i remember traveling around with him. In fact, i rode on the subway with him so often that i kind of wondered, you know, when he was working. Cooper and your mom . What was she like . Michael meeropol she was very affectionate, a lot of hugging and kissing. And i remember that she was often cooking. The thing i remember is just a normal life. Cooper but then, in the summer of 1950, f. B. I. Agents began rounding up a network of alleged communist spies. On july 17, they knocked on the rosenbergs door. Michael meeropol im listening to the lone ranger, and the door opens, and there is all these people in the room, who, you know, i guess, friends of daddys. But then, my mother yells, i had. I want a lawyer, and i knew something was weird. And then the radios turned off. Well, im a brash sevenyear old, and i turned it back on. Somebody turned it off again. After about three times, i gave up because, you know, the attention was on my father, and then he disappears. Hes gone. Cooper julius was accused of running a spy ring that tried to help the soviet union make an atomic bomb. After he refused to talk to the f. B. I. , ethel was arrested, too. Michael meeropol all i remember is, im on the phone with her, and she says, im under arrest. And i say, you cant come home . She says, no, i cant. And i dont remember anything else about the phone call, but the story is that i screamed and that it gave her nightmares for the rest of her life. Cooper that scream . Michael meeropol yeah. It tore her heart. Cooper their grandmother put them up for a few months, but michael and robby say she resented their presence. When other relatives refused to care for them, they were sent to a childrens shelter in the bronx. Why didnt other family members take you in . Robert meeropol they were terrified. Like, for instance, my fathers older sister wanted to take us in, but her husband owned a smallgrocery store, and he said, if people find out ive taken in the children of the rosenbergs, they wont buy food from my store. Cooper so, then, youre sent, essentially, to an orphanage . Michael meeropol yeah. Cooper what was that like . Michael meeropol i remember it as horrible, like something out of dickens. The staff was pretty free with the slaps and the abuse. I felt like i was in prison. Cooper you felt like you were in prison, as well, not just. Michael meeropol yeah. Oh, absolutely. Cooper . Your parents . Michael meeropol one week after i was there, i remember crying to anybody i would talk. I said, ive been here a week. Dont you think they could let me go home now . Cooper the chief witness against their parents was their uncle, David Greenglass, whod worked at the militarys atomic bombmaking plant in los alamos, new mexico. In march 1951, greenglass testified hed given sketches of the atomic bomb to Julius Rosenberg, and that ethel had typed up his handwritten notes. David greenglass wife ruth told the same story under oath. It took the jury only eight hours to reach a verdict. One of the greatest peacetime spy dramas in the nations history reaches its climax. Cooper the judge sentenced the rosenbergs to death, saying he considered their crime worse than murder, because he believed theyd put the atomic bomb in soviet hands earlier than anyone had expected. While their lawyers appealed the decision, the rosenbergs were taken to new yorks sing sing prison to await execution. Robby and michael, now four and eight years old, hadnt seen their parents for a year, but they were allowed to visit them at sing sing. I heard that you asked to see the electric chair . Michael meeropol yep. The very first visit, i said to a guard, let me see the electric chair. Cooper why did you want to see the electric chair . Michael meeropol i didnt want to see the electric chair. I wanted to prove to the people at the prison i wasnt afraid of it. Robert meeropol i remember that the prison seemed like a big fortress that we were entering, this gray stone building, almost medievallike. But when we went into the visiting room, everything was kind of quiet and calm, which is what i needed. And i think thats because my parents made a conscious effort to try to act that way. And so, you could say that they fooled me, and i wanted to be fooled. laughs Michael Meeropol i remember asking them both in sing sing if they were innocent. I said, are you really innocent . And they reacted, but of course we are, you know . And that was enough for me for, you know, decades. Cooper but it wasnt enough for the supreme court, which denied the rosenbergs appeal. Never before in the u. S. Had a husband and wife been sentenced to the electric chair, which would make their children orphans. The rosenbergs supporters held protests all over the world, arguing the couple was innocent and the sentence unjust. Albert einstein, Pablo Picasso and the pope appealed for clemency. Days before the scheduled execution, michael and robby joined demonstrators in washington, d. C. , and hand delivered a plea for mercy to the white house. But president eisenhower refused to intervene. On june 16, 1953, nearly three years after their parents had been arrested, the boys visited them at sing sing for the last time. Michael meeropol and as i was leaving, i started to wail, one more day to live, one more day to live. Cooper you actually said that . Michael meeropol oh, yeah, absolutely. It was terrible, you know . But it was. It was honest. I mean, basically, i was pissed off because they were kissing us goodbye like, see you next time. And i thought, you know, they. They should take. Make. A more big deal about this, because this could be forever. Cooper the attorney general said the couple could still save themselves by providing information to investigators, but julius and Ethel Rosenberg remained united in silence. As the hours of execution approached, reporters converged on the prison and protestors gathered near new yorks union square. Robby and michael, now six and ten years old, stayed at the home of a family friend in new jersey, playing baseball and hoping for a last minute reprieve, which never came. Michael meeropol i played catch till it was too dark to see the ball. And when i came in, i asked the adults what happened, and they wouldnt tell me. They just said, we listened to every radio station. They all said the same thing. And so i knew. I got hugged by the woman who we were staying with, and she said, youll stay with us. And i said, yeah, i guess i will. And they said, lets keep it from robby. And so, i kept it from him for a week. Cooper for a week . Michael meeropol yeah. Well, i couldnt, i just couldnt. For one reason or another, i just couldnt go on with the charade. Cooper do you remember exactly what you said . Michael meeropol yeah, because he was talking about, when mommy and daddy come home. And i said, oh, come on, lets tell him. Rob, robby he was always robby mommy and daddy arent coming home. Theyre dead. Cooper do you remember what he said . Michael meeropol he acted as if he didnt understand. Robert meeropol i think ive had to work my entire life at reacting to bad news, because my first tendency whenever bad news comes is to pretend like its not that bad somehow. And, you know, if you can do that with your parents being executed, you can do that with almost anything. Cooper the rosenbergs supporters viewed them as martyrs persecuted for their communist belief, but to the vast majority of americans, julius and Ethel Rosenberg were atomic spies and traitors. Many believed they deserved to die. Michael meeropol when my parents were killed, an. A postcard came to the place i was staying, and it said, of course you feel for the loss of your parents, but when you think of all the boys they killed in korea, you must realize that justice was done. Why dont you change your names and become christians . Cooper and you remember the words to this day . Michael meeropol well, those are the kind of words that you dont forget. Cooper in so many of the photos of you both at that time, your brother is. His arm is around you or both arms are around you, like hes protecting you. Robert meeropol he was my anchor, you know. Rather than sibling rivalry, it was more of, like, the two of us against the world. Cooper who do you think this was harder on, you or robby . Michael meeropol i think it probably was much harder on robby, because three years with my parents, what are his memories . He has very little to grab onto. Robert meeropol i think it was harder on him. I think he had a tremendous sense of responsibility for me, and he understood more. Cooper it had been quite a while since anything good had happened to the rosenberg boys, but in 1953, not long after their parents funeral, they were introduced to anne and abel meeropol, teachers who were supporters of the rosenbergs. They took michael and robby into their home, and eventually adopted them. Michael meeropol introducing the meeropol family, Robby Meeropol and yours truly this land is your land, this land is my land. Cooper the meeropols became your parents . Michael meeropol absolutely. Totally. Cooper they changed your life . Michael meeropol yeah. They saved our lives. Robert meeropol within a few months of living with them, i was calling them mommy and daddy. Cooper was it your choice to take their name . Robert meeropol well, i was too young to really have a choice, but it made us more anonymous, and that was a good thing. Michael meeropol as michael and Robby Meeropol, they eventually went to college, got married and started raising families of their own. Robert meeropol i think its no accident that both of us got married when we were young, that we both had two kids, just like we were two kids. As early as we could, we recreated the family that was torn apart. Cooper Michael Meeropol became an economics professor; robert, a lawyer and founder of a charity called the Rosenberg Fund for children. They lived relatively normal lives. But for many years, most of the people they interacted with each day had no idea they were the children of julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Robert meeropol essentially, i was in the closet from when i was six until when i was 20 with everybody who didnt already know. Cooper you were worried about letting the world know who you were . Robert meeropol yeah, i was, because whenever. When the world knew who i was, it was very bad. Terrible things happened. Cooper more than 20 years after their parents execution, the brothers decided to step back into the limelight and reinvestigate the rosenberg case. What they discovered, when we come back. This cbs sports update is brought to you by ford. Im james brown with scores from the nfl today. Beckhams 66ar touchdown sealed the win for the giants over the ravens. Matt jones scored as washington won its fourth straight. Rob gronkowski had a career high 162 yards receiving in the patriots win. The bills rose to a 312 yards and four scores on the ground to crush the 49ers. K. C. Snapped oaklands threegame win streak. For more sports news, go to cbssports. Com. One smart choice leads to the next. The new 2017 ford fusion is here. Its the beauty of a wellmade choice. He has a sharp wit. A winning smile. And no chance of getting an athletic scholarship. And that is why you invest. The best returns arent just measured in dollars. Td ameritrade. Pat toomey and donald trump theyre just wrong for the women of pennsylvania. New fallout for donald trump. Should a woman be punshied for having an abortion . There has to be some form of punishment. For the woman . Yeah, there has to be some form. I would support legislation in pennsylvania that would ban abortion and i would suggest that we have penalties for doctors who perform them. Pat toomey and donald trump theyre not for you. Senate majority pac is responsible for the content of this advertising. Cooper before julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for conspiring to provide atomic secrets to the soviet union, ethel wrote a letter to their sons, michael and robby, saying, always remember that we were innocent. So, perhaps its not surprising that when the boys grew up, they wanted to try to clear their parents names. What is surprising is how much new information they and independent historians have been able to uncover over the years secret messages, intercepted cables, longforgotten files from the archives of the f. B. I. , the c. I. A. And the k. G. B. The new information has changed the way this chapter of American History is viewed, which is why the brothers are now asking president obama to exonerate their mother. The little boys who disappeared from public view after their parents were executed in 1953 reemerged as grown men in 1975, determined to uncover new information in their parents case. They sued the f. B. I. And the c. I. A. Under the freedom of information act, seeking full access to the governments files on julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Robert meeropol the government files represent the largest body of primary evidence on my parents case in existence. We are not afraid of what is in them. Why is the government afraid . What are they trying to cover up . Cooper did you think you might be able to prove your parents innocence . Michael meeropol oh, absolutely. I was absolutely convinced that we would find virtual proof. Cooper you were sure they were innocent . Robert meeropol as sure as one and one equal two. Cooper they formed a committee to reexamine the rosenberg case. Ron radosh was among the first to sign up. At the time, he was an author and activist, highly sympathetic to the rosenbergs cause and eager to help. Radosh by then, i had a ph. D. In history, and i believed my expertise as a historian enabled me to want to go through all these files that i expected would prove their innocence. Cooper but once ron radosh started going through the f. B. I. Files, he realized he was wrong. Julius rosenberg had been a soviet spy and a zealous recruiter of others. Radosh i was stunned. It became readily apparent that this was not people who were arrested because they opposed the korean war or whatever, because they wanted peace. Cooper essentially. Radosh so. Cooper . Julius rosenbergs job was as a recruiter of others . He was. Radosh right, he. Cooper . Developing a network. Radosh . Ran a network. He put it together and handled them all. Cooper in 1983, ron radosh cowrote a book outlining the new evidence that Julius Rosenberg was guilty. How did the meeropols and others on the left respond . Radosh horrendously. I mean, i was ostracized, attacked. Cooper people stopped speaking to you . Radosh yeah. I had phone calls in the middle of the night, death threats, the usual thing. I mean. And we lost, actually lost good friends, very good friends who no longer. Stopped talking to us, and to this day. Cooper to this day . Radosh oh, absolutely. Cooper it took michael and robby a long time to accept that their father was guilty. They finally acknowledged it in 2008, when their parents co defendant, morty sobell, admitted for the first time he had been part of Julius Rosenbergs spy ring. Was there any part of you that was disappointed in your father . Michael meeropol no. No. Not at all. Cooper not disappointed that he actually did commit espionage . Michael meeropol i. Ill speak for myself. No, i. I didnt. Robert meeropol you know, for years, we were saying our parents were innocent lambs brought to slaughter, and to come to the realization that, instead, they were knowing political actors who made decisions based upon their beliefs, i actually found that to be more palatable. I didnt want them to just be victims. Cooper but your father was breaking u. S. Law. Michael meeropol absolutely. Cooper . To do this. So. Michael meeropol yeah, he was. Robert meeropol and i think that if hed been arrested and given a five or tenyear prison sentence, we would have nothing to complain about. Cooper theres now plenty of evidence that Julius Rosenbergs spy network stole Important Technology for jet fighters, radar and detonators, but the one thing he and his spies didnt do a very good job of stealing was atomic secrets, the heart of the prosecutors case. Most historians agree that the soviets got the most important atomic bombmaking information from los alamos scientists klaus fuchs and theodore hall, who belonged to a different russian spy ring. The los alamos informant julius was accused of recruiting, ethels brother David Greenglass, was a machinist, not a scientist. When a copy of the sketch greenglass said he drew for the soviets was made public in 1966, Nuclear Scientists were not impressed. Michael meeropol 1966, top scientists look at it, and they make it clear that this thing is a secret of nothing. Its got no dimensions in it. Its got errors in it. Cooper newspapers called julius and Ethel Rosenberg atomic spies, and the judge sentenced them to death for putting the atomic bomb in the hands of the soviet union, but theres ample evidence the u. S. Government knew at the time that the information David Greenglass gave to the soviets was of minor value. The prosecutors knew the information the rosenbergs had access to was not the. The crown jewels of the atomic world . Radosh yes, but they were pushing for a prosecution without using the hardest evidence they could. They had. Couldnt be used. Cooper thats because in the 1940s, the u. S. Government had been secretly intercepting soviet messages, and it didnt want the soviets to know it had broken their code. So, instead, prosecutors pressured David Greenglass and his wife ruth to testify against julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Michael and robby argue that prosecutors framed their mother by inventing evidence that she typed up David Greenglass notes on the atomic bomb. Greenglass where do i sit . Right there . Yes, sir. Cooper in 2001, half a century after he testified that his sister typed up his notes, David Greenglass told 60 minutes correspondent bob simon, it was a lie. Simon so, ethel finally went to the electric chair on the basis of evidence that was false. Greenglass false. Cooper he said he did it to save himself and his wife, and he showed little remorse. Greenglass were still here. I didnt have to go away. Nobody killed me, and i survived. Simon your sister didnt. Greenglass you know, id like to say something. I would not sacrifice my wife and my children for my sister. How do you like that . My wife is more important to me than my sister. Cooper greenglass said he was pressed to give this false testimony by one of the prosecutors in the case, roy cohn, who would go on to become senator Joseph Mccarthys right hand man and was later disbarred for unethical conduct. Simon did cohn encourage you to testify that you saw ethel typing up the notes . Greenglass of course he did. Cooper as a reward for their testimony against the rosenbrgs, David Greenglass got a reduced sentence, and his wife ruth, who had served as a soviet courier, never spent a day in prison. Prosecutors believed the prospect of ethel dying in the electric chair would force Julius Rosenberg to confess and name other soviet spies. Michael meeropol in the case of my mother, she really is collateral damage, you know. This is. This is the government trying. Putting a gun to her head and saying to julie, talk or well kill her. Cooper you dont think she was involved at all . Michael meeropol we dont believe that, and, in fact, we believe that the evidence has virtually proved that. Cooper after david and Ruth Greenglass died, their testimony to a grand jury before the rosenbergs trial was unsealed. There was no mention of Ethel Rosenberg typing up David Greenglass notes, and when those soviet messages the u. S. Had been secretly decoding were publicly released, they showed the soviets had never given Ethel Rosenberg a code name. In 1997, when Julius Rosenbergs former soviet handler, alexander feklisov, went public with tales of julius spy missions for the soviet union, feklisov had this to say about Ethel Rosenberg feklisov ethel never worked for us. She didnt do anything. Cooper based on this information, robert and Michael Meeropol have launched a campaign to clear their mothers name. They got 13 members of the new York City Council to issue a proclamation declaring the government wrongfully executed Ethel Rosenberg. Robert meeropol it is time for the federal government to step up and do the same. Cooper theyve launched an online petition drive, calling on president obama to exonerate their mother before he leaves office. But historian ron radosh says, based on the documents hes seen, that would be a mistake. Radosh she was an accessory to spying by helping, identifying people, urging people to be re. Recruited, suggesting that her own brother be recruited. This is aiding those who are spying. Its aiding and abetting. Cooper youre saying even though she wasnt as involved as her husband. Radosh right. Cooper . She still engaged in a conspiracy. Radosh yes. She considered herself a friend of the soviet union, was doing. Helping her husband in his valuable work. Cooper so, the trial was not fair, but that doesnt mean the rosenbergs were innocent. Radosh right. Right. You could say, if you want to say those who say the rosenbergs were framed, they framed guilty people. Cooper but you are acknowledging there was an injustice when it comes to ethel in terms of the Death Penalty . Radosh yes. Yeah. Compared to the others, she was of minimal importance. She should not have been executed. The government did it as a mechanism of leverage, hoping that would push julius to talk. It didnt work, and i think they were shocked that it didnt work. I th. They all thought julius would break and cooperate. Cooper when judge kaufman sentenced them to death, he said the rosenbergs loved their cause more than their children. Do you think thats true . Radosh yes. Unfortunately, i would agree with that. Yes. Otherwise, how could they have done what they did . Cooper youve said that your mother was a hostage who was killed when your father wouldnt talk. Isnt it true, though, that she could have told investigators everything she knew and lived . Robert meeropol both our parents couldve saved themselves. Michael meeropol no question. Robert meeropol the f. B. I. Agents whove written memoirs in which they said, we didnt want them to die, we wanted them to talk. Cooper after your father had been executed, could she have then. Michael meeropol absolutely. Cooper . Last minute. Michael meeropol exac. Cooper . Said, you know what . Ill tell you everything i know . Michael meeropol absolutely. In fact, we know that the rabbi came to her cell after witnessing our fathers execution and said, julius is gone, and, you know, you have two children. And if theres anything you can say a name, even a false name, just anything, you know, to save yourself. And allegedly, she said to the rabbi, i have no names. Im innocent, and im ready. Robert meeropol ultimately, they couldnt betray each other. They couldnt and they would not betray each other. And that wouldve been the ultimate betrayal. Cooper do you feel she betrayed you . Robert meeropol not at all. Cooper the judge said, your parents loved their cause more than their own children, which is certainly a very cruel thing to say. Robert meeropol and its not true. Cooper you dont believe by. Robert meeropol i dont. Cooper . By choosing to die rather than cooperate, they didnt prove the judge right . Robert meeropol no, i dont think they did. If you were interviewing us in a psychiatric ward, then you might say, yeah, they. They damaged us by what they did. Cooper to you, exoneration would mean what . Is it political or is it personal . Michael meeropol both. Robert meeropol oh, its both. Our mother was killed for something she did not do. She was taken away from us. Thats as personal as it can get. But the fact that the government facilitated the invention of evidence in order to convict someone of a capital crime, that is something that should concern everybody. What was home to the rosenberg brothers was a den of spies to the f. B. I. Thats where your dad was arrested. Yes. Go to 60minutesovertime. Com sponsored by prevnar 13. My friends think doing this at my age is scary. I say not if you protect yourself. What is scary . Pneumococcal pneumonia. Its a serious disease. My doctor said the risk is greater now that im over 50 yeah. Yaha. 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Youre surprised how much you both want kids, and equally surprised you cant have them. So together, you adopt a little boy. And then his two brothers. And you up your Life Insurance because four people depend on you now. Then, one weekend, when everyone has a cold and youve spent the whole day watching tv, you realize that you didnt plan for any of this, but you wouldnt have done it any other way. With the right financial partner, progress is possible. Whitaker now, an update on a story we first broadcast in december, 2004. Thats when our late colleague, ed bradley, interviewed bob dylan, who won the nobel prize for literature on thursday. It was the reclusive dylans first broadcast interview in 19 years, and he had a lot to say about his life, his fame and especially his music and lyrics. Bradley ive read somewhere that you wrote blowin in the wind in ten minutes. Is that right . Dylan probably. Bradley just like that . Dylan yeah. Bradley whered it come from . Dylan it just came. It came from, like, right out of that wellspring of creativity, i would think, you know . Bradley do you ever look at music that youve written and look back at it and say, oh, that surprised me . Dylan i used to. I. I dont do that anymore. I dont know how i got to write those songs. Bradley what do you mean, you dont know how . Dylan those early songs were, like, almost magically written. Whitaker at the end of that story, 12 years ago, ed bradley reported dylan had been nominated for the nobel prize. Now, he has won it. Im bill whitaker. Well be back next week with another edition of 60 minutes. And tomorrow, be sure to watch cbs this morning. You call me to tell me whats up with you huh . Were living on top of the world, it seems way up here in a higher place whoa. Uhhuh. Whats our time . Are you coming over . chuckles youve got to be kidding me. Whew. indistinct chatter oh, clouds that i keep falling through do you think anyone here knows its only thursday . Dude, i dont think anyone here cares that its only thursday. Who are these people . I dont know. Oh. laughing how you ladies doing . Hey. Happy thursday. groaning, laughing