JAN 8 1976 Openin. G the Rosenberg Files
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JAN 8 1976 . g the Rosenberg Files ''NYTimes Openin ministration (formerly the Atomic as an accomplice of our father and By Michael Meeropol Energy Commission). thoroughly investigated, has no F.B.I. Knowing that the New Mexico file file if the inventories are to be believed. and Robert Meeropol on David Greenglass, the chief prosecu- Clearly, the F.B.I. is hiding signifi- tion witness, had been "pulped" in cant amounts of its Rosenberg files SPRINGFIELD, Mass.—Contrary to 1111169, Judge June L. Green of the although Justice Department press re- the impression one might get from the Federal 'District CotiFt issued an in- leases are implying that virtually all 'mess our Freedom of Information Act . junction against the defendant agen- the files are being released. • request for the files on our parents, cies that barred any further destruc- The American people must know Jali US and Ethel Rosenberg, has tion of documents. that the 29,000 F.B.L pages represent -brought about the release of less. than She rejected requests for up to eight only 10 percent of all the estimated 30 percent—a conservative estimate— months of delays, ordered detailed files in all Government agencies—only `.of the Federal Bureau of Investigation inventories, and set a timetable for 30 percent of what the F.B.L has soaterial. Every page has been released the release of material for which none admitted to having. Until we all see aa: the Government's discretion. of the Act's exemptions were claimed. what they do not wish to release (re- In other words, the Government is New efforts to stop us came concur- member Richard M. Nixon's edited • Still determined to control what rently with the production of the transcripts?) the story of the Rosen- Attericans can and cannot see about inventories. berg-Sobell case will remain covered. the Rosenberg-Morton Sobel] case: It The Energy Research and Develop- up. is fighting tooth and nail to prevent ment Administration asked the court Some material that the Government the release of most of the Rosenberg to declare that the Energy Administra- willingly released has been con- files. tion had fully complied with the Act, even though it had refused to release sidered. by some observers as damag- After months of Government stall- some of the most important material. ing our claim that our parents were ' tng on our initial requests, in 1975 we The other agencies asked that their framed. initiated a Freedom of Information inventories be declared complete and The .F.B.1. says our father told one Act lawsuit in Federal District Court that we be blocked from investigating Jerome Eugene Tartakow of his in Washington against the F.B.I., Cen- if this were true. espionage activities while they- were tral Intelligence Agency, Department When the F.B.I. released 29,000 incarcerated together before and dur-- lot Justice. United States Attorneys Of- pages with many blanked-nut sections, ing the Rosenberg-Sobell trial, Bixt •ac- , floes for the Southern District of New it sought briefly to charge an out- - cording to a 1956-Jiistice Departmeat _York and for New Mexico, and the rageous $20,000 "search" fee but pub- memorandum, Mr. Tartakow was of Energy Research and Development Ad- lic and press pressure forced a retreat. "unknown reliability." The Govern-, However, less well publicized hat malt did not use him against out 11fre' hael Meeropo/ teaches economics been its exemption claims on 10,000 father at the trial. The rnemoriuncluni: a Western New England College, where complete pages and approximately indicated that five yeara, of attempts, .1/14abert Meeropol taught anthropolOgy. one-third of the 29,000 pages. to substantiate Mr. Tartalcoves Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were Even More striltfrig_ are its affidavits tastes had only. succeeded in„rein ikinvicted on March 29, 1901, of eiWt• that admit that the itosOberg "main them. - sptracy to commit espiontige bji Coin file" holds at least 73,,000 pages, over . Mr. Tartakow's mention 'Of two municating information otObe Manta.' half of which are not covered by the alleged members of the "spy ring," facture of atomic bombs ta sowit- "coMplete" inventories it claims to WilliamWilliam, Pert _ and „Ann"! Sitiorovich. [Won. They were electr000ted in, _I -filed! - further hia.stoWs' cred411--•` 1953. 1—FOr !rumple, William Per", accused Urajitr oath ftam denied vW1i. 'The Government never contested tiekir denials. with espionage or perjury indictments. Mr: Perk was indicted for perjury unrelated to espionage, . We 'reiterate that our fight for the files lins -only pat begun: ' The Government is resisting compli. ance with the law because, as Judge William, ill, Jones of the Federal Dis- trict Car- t in Washington recently Said, "The F.B,I.' just doein't like the Freedom-of Information Act"! You can well imagine, why, con- sidering what we strongly believe it is hiding in our parents' case. .