Question

What might have made the Rosenbergs seem dangerous to the US government of the 1950s?
Both worked to create the first atomic bombs for the USSR.
Both were connected to radical groups.
Julius had worked for the VENONA project.
Ethel was a Russian immigrant who arrived after WWII.

Answer 1

Mostly the second one. The Rosenbergs’ connections to Communist and radical groups (and to people who were Soviet agents) is what made them seem threatening to U.S. authorities in the early Cold War.

Why the others are wrong:
- “Both worked to create the first atomic bombs for the USSR.” No — they were accused of passing atomic information to Soviet agents, but neither of them “worked to create” Soviet bombs.
- “Julius had worked for the VENONA project.” No — VENONA was a U.S. counterintelligence decrypt program that helped identify Julius as a spy; he did not work for VENONA.
- “Ethel was a Russian immigrant who arrived after WWII.” No — Ethel (née Greenglass) was born in New York City; she was not a post‑war Russian immigrant.