Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-02-13
Appeal by Pope
For Rosenberg
Lives Disclosed.
Vuticon Pepper 7 ellis
Of Intervention for
Doomed Atom Spies
BY the As.eeiesed Pres.

VATICAN CITY, Feb. 49,
The Vatican newspaper said to-
day Pope Plus XII has inter-
coded for Julius and Ethel
Rosenberg, the atomic spies now
under sentence of death in the
United States, seeking mercy for
them.
Vatican sources said they be-
lieved the pontiff's action &C.
CURED well before President
Eisenhower rejected clemency
for the Rosenbergs on Wednes-
day.
Precisely how the Pope inter-
vened was not disclosed in to-
days announcement in LOSER
vatore Romano. The United
Statse has no diplomatic repre-
sentation at the Vatican and
President Eisenhower's press
secretary said in Washington
neither the State Department
nor the White House has re-
ceived any notification on this
subject" He said he did not know
whether such a clemency plea
had been received by the Tru-
man administration.
Emanuel H. Bloch, attorney
for the Rosenbergs, said he well
coined news of the Pope's inter-
vention.
Reds Claim Anti Semitism.
The Rosenbergs are Jews and
the Communist press has been
claiming that their sentence to
the electric chair for passing
American atomic secrets to the
Russians is a proof of ant;
Semitism in the United ST..
The date for their death is be
set soon.
Papal intervention on tSieir be-
half was disclosed in a brief, top
of page one, item in L'Osserva-
tore, which the Vatican often
uses to release information it
wishes made public. The wording
made clear the Pope's action was
being disclosed because Of Com
nunist press insinuations that
the Pope was not interested in
the fate Of the Rpsenbergs.
While the Pope not uncom-
monty intervenes on charitable
grounds to try to save human
lives, normally such intervention
is kept secret. Vatican inform
ants said.
L'Osservatore said: "Some
newspapers have mentioned the
holy father in connection with
the fate Of the Rosenberg couple,
almost implying he had remained
impaSSive to various demands
directed to him to intervene in
behalf Of the condemned.
Never Refuses Interest.
''Now, it is well to know that
his holiness. even without being
able to enter into the merits Of
the case, never refuses his in
terest when it is requested to
save human life, because of the
higher motives of charity proper
to his apostolic ministry. And, as
he has mercifully done in various
other similar cases, so also in
this one he has not omitted to
intervene. insofar as it was per-
mitted him by the lack Of every
official relation with the COM
petent Omitted States) Govern
ment authorities"
The indication that lack of
United States diplomatic repre-
sentation at the Vatican made
the Pope's action more difficult
caused speculation that his views
might either have been conveyed
through some prominent Amer
lean Catholic figure or might
have been Informally relayed
through the Apostolic Delegate
in Washington, Msgr. Giovanni
Cicognani.
Vatican sources cited two rea-
sons why it was almost certain
the Pope's action came some
time ago-Well before Presi-
dent Eisenhower's blunt refusal
OF clemency. They said the
Pope became very i'll January
% and still Is convalescing. They
said it was about Christmas time
that appeals were being made to
the Pope on the Rosenbergs be-
half.
In his statement announcing
the rejection of the Rosenberg
clemency plea. President Eisen-
hover said there has been
neither new evidence nor have
there been mitigating circum-
stances" which would justify his
interceding In the case.
The statement said he had
made q careful examination of
the case and satisfied that the
two individuals have been ac-
corded their full measure of jus
tice."