#Rosenberg trials

[beababoobies]

I’m fucking sobbing at 10pm why did no one tell me about Ethel and Julius Rosenberg.

falls to my knees.

[holografrick]

Can you draw Ocean in pajamas?

reading through my suggestion inbox rn very late of me but can you tell i love drawing ocean the most WHOOPS playing favorites here

[lego-man-speer]

Some stupid shit I made because I haven’t bothered to write more educational content

[little-rat-man]

33 seconds of the REAL Rosenberg voice without any edits (change in speed) baritone/bass sounding podge of a man

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Bonus:

[cr0g-0]

Sorry to politics post on main but finding out just now that Donald Trump was mentored essentially by Roy Cohn boggles me

Cohn, for those not well versed on who the guy is/was [no fucking clue if hes still alive???] (i myself wasnt until on a research paper) apart of the McCarthy movement during the second red scare. He served as the prosecution in the Rosenberg trial and its genuinely just a big "oh this guy has horrible views"

I encourage reading about the Rosenbergs and also their kids and their organization by the way, its a good read and makes you question how truly fucked we were and are as a society that teaches hate and fear.

[deadthehype]

Sean "Diddy" Combs pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court to sex trafficking charges. Judge Robyn Tarnofsky denied bail for Combs, so he will remain in jail until his trial. Sketches by Jane Rosenberg & Christine Cornell.

[the-breath-in-air]

An "oh no what am I going to watch after Fellow Travelers is done?" List

When I first saw the trailer for Fellow Travelers I was disappointed because it looked predictable. Turns out it wasn't nearly as predictable as I thought, and is actually quite good. But then I got to thinking...why not share a list of series and movies that folks might be interested in watching once Fellow Travelers is done airing.

--

If you want to see more about McCarthyism, Roy Cohn and the Lavender Scare:

Bully. Coward. Victim. (2019) and Where's My Roy Cohn? (2019) - Both of these documentaries focus on the life of Roy Cohn, from his time at the McCarthy hearings, to his time as the Studio 54 lawyer, to his work during the Reagan era and his eventual death from AIDS. Where's My Roy Cohn? also focuses in on Roy Cohn's working relationship with Donald Trump. "Bully. Coward. Victim. was produced by the granddaughter of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and as such, it also focuses more on the lasting impact of Cohn's role in their executions. There's a lot of overlap between the two documentaries, but I think they're both worth watching if you can.

--

If you want to see more stories of gay men in the 1950s:

Against the Law (2017) - This is a biopic about Peter Wildeblood, a man who was put on trial for homosexuality and who, remarkably, acknowledged that he was gay during the trial. This trial and Wildeblood's later actions, are considered pivotal in the movement toward decriminalizing homosexuality in the UK. The movie takes place mostly in the 1950s and, again, deals with queer men trying to find love in a time in which laws, social norms, etc. made it exceedingly difficult to do so. The drama is interspersed with interviews in 2017 with real queer men who were alive at the time of the trial.

--

If you want to see more stories of ruthless politicians trying to hide that they're gay:

A Very English Scandal (2018) - As the title suggests, this miniseries takes place in the UK. It's based on a true story...even the more outlandish moments. Jeremy Thorpe (Hugh Grant) is a career politician who's been hiding that he's gay for decades. He's developed a ruthlessness and callousness to his own situation and he, predictably, treats everyone around him as disposable. Then along comes Norman Scott (Ben Whishaw), a young man who Thorpe is instantly attracted to. But Scott struggles with self-acceptance and mental health issues, and Thorpe has no compassion nor patience for any of that. The result is a dark comedy about this doomed relationship alongside the change to the law in the UK to decriminalize homosexuality.

--

If you want to see more stories of queer folks in the 1980s:

It's A Sin (2021) - This is a miniseries that follows a group of queer folks during the 1980s in London. It's all about their search for love and finding themselves and whatnot, even as they are forced to deal with HIV and AIDS. It's a good show that is worth a watch, especially if you haven't seen much else about being queer in the '80s.

--

Angels in America (2003) - Of course Angels in America was going to end up on this list. It is one of the definitive pieces of fiction on living in New York during the AIDS crisis. The play was originally performed in 1991...just four years after AZT was approved for use in the US to treat HIV and AIDS. It's big, and complex, and as much about the state of the U.S. at the time as it is about these individual characters and their lives. Also, Roy Cohn shows up, working as a political operative for Reagan. It really is, as it's subtitle says, "A Gay Fantasia on National Themes."

[magnetothemagnificent]

It's been a few(?) weeks but I think what irks me about the Oppenheimer spectacle is that I'd find it very hard to believe that Hollywood (as it stands today) would ever make anywhere close to such a big highlight promotion to a movie dedicated to say, the Rosenberg trials.

The USA executed a Jewish couple on flimsy suspicions that they were leaking atom bomb secrets to their enemies (the atom bomb that America gladly hired "former" n-zi scientists to help make)

The US wasn't even at any formal war at the time, it was officially peacetime, but they deemed this Jewish couple enough of an enemy to murder them for getting in the way of making the A-bomb.

The executive choices for which parts of history receive these gigantic and public-conscious-defining spectacles on the most massive media platforms is very curious to me.

Yeah and like.... it's not like the movie depicted the creation of the atom bomb in an angle that isn't really depicted in film. They could have focused on the ethical conflicts the Jewish scientists, such as Oppenheimer and Einstein felt, as well as the feeling of urgency they felt because of the Holocaust (remember, the Jews recruited were recruited because the US knew their rage and wanting to bomb Nazis and wanted to exploit it). But instead the movie barely acknowledges Oppenheimer or Einstein or any of the other Jewish scientists' Jewishness.

Like, it's honestly lazy telling a story that's already been told in film so many times before. Talk about the aftermath of the testing in New Mexico, or the aftermath of the bombing in Japan. Talk about the Jewish scientists and how their identities interacted with the Manhattan project and the antisemitism they faced. Talk about the post-WW2 Red Scare and how it disproportionately targeted Jews, Black people, and gay people. Where's the nuance, the focus on the untold parts?

[qqueenofhades]

Let's say Trump goes to jail, it doesn't mean Maga is going to fall in line with Desantis or any other Rightwinger running. There is a total schism. Also a lot of Republicans are disenchanted with voting because they think its rigged.

It is unlikely, but not impossible, that Trump will be in jail in November 2024. His trial in the NYC case is set for March 2024, and we don't know yet when his trial(s) will be for this case, the Georgia election interference case, the federal Jan 6th case, or like, any of the other eighty billion felonies he's already been or is about to be charged with. So while not super likely, it is not out of the realm of possibility that he will be tried, convicted, and sentenced to prison by the time the election rolls around. Not that this is going to stop him. He will only not run if he's dead.

In the meantime: in no universe is this good for the GOP. The establishment GOP knows Trump is incredibly toxic but is too cowardly to say so, and the rabid base won't accept anyone else. Once again I want to emphasize: the Espionage Act is explicitly a treason charge, and it is not a small or low-level charge. It was the primary statute used to charge Aldrich Ames, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, and Robert Hanssen, all of whom are infamous as some of the biggest traitors in American history (legally speaking). Ames is locked away in the Terre Haute federal penitentiary for life without parole, the Rosenbergs were executed, and Hanssen just died in Florence Supermax while serving 15 life sentences. I'm not saying any of this will necessarily happen to Trump, but that is the level of charges we are talking about. Ames and Hanssen were both charged under section 794; Trump is, as far as we know, charged under section 793. But the statute makes explicit reference to "the injury of the United States or for the advantage of a foreign government." Which is, y'know. Treason.

The point is: Trump has been indicted for literal espionage, there's no way for the GOP to spin this (though they will obviously try) and this won't win any more supporters for him outside of his diehards, who were obviously already on his side. So, like:

[wumblr]

there's a post going around that made me realize none of you know the rosenbergs died to leak the bomb designs to the soviet union as a moral stance, because they thought it would be unsafe for the united states to be the only country holding the bomb. they were executed for treason without evidence and without trial because this moral stance was at odds with the expansion of the empire

the only thing that gets roads built in the rural US is the presence of a bomb silo and the only reason we could throw decades of e-junk in landfills is because we used the pretext of the bomb to extort cheap components from the rest of the world. of course we're going to sanction semiconductors, the other option would be to negotiate or compromise diplomatically, which a war empire is not capable of doing. there's blood on the hands of every garbage product and every cheap piece of shit advertising. because the bomb is all we have

[er1chartmann]

Alfred Rosemberg

This is Alfred Rosemberg, the ideologue of the Nazi Party, timeline:

1893: He was born in Reval.

1911: He graduated from the Petri-Realschule in Reval and enrolled at the Riga Polytechnic.

1914: The First World War began.

1914: The headquarters of the Polytechnic University was temporarily moved to Moscow.

1915: He married his first wife, Hilda Leesmann.

1917: He participated in the Russian revolution on the side of the counter-revolutionaries.

1918: The first world war ended.

1918: He immigrated to Germany.

1918: He  contributed to Dietrich Eckart's publication, the Völkischer Beobachter.

1919: He published his two anti-Semitic treatises, The Journey of the Jews Through the Centuries and Immorality in the Talmud.

1919: He conceived a theory about a global Judeo-Bolshevik-Masonic conspiracy.

1919: He joined the Nazi Party

1923: He became the editor of the Völkischer Beobachter

1923: After the failed Beer Hall Putsch, Hitler appointed Rosenberg as a leader of the National Socialist movement, a position he held until Hitler's release. Hitler remarked privately in later years that his choice of Rosenberg, whom he regarded as weak and lazy, was strategic.

1923: He divorced his first wife.

1924: Hitler was released.

1925: He married his second wife, Hedwig Kramer.

1929: He  founded the Militant League for German Culture.

1930: His only daughter, Irene Rosemberg, was born.

1930: He became a Reichstag Deputy

1930: He  published his book on racial theory The Myth of the Twentieth Century.

1932: He  participated in the Volta Conference.

1933: Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany.

1933: He was assigned the role of "Delegate of the Führer for the education and intellectual and philosophical formation of the National Socialist party".

1933: He visited Britain, intending to give the impression that the Nazis would not be a threat.

1933: He was appointed "Responsible for Foreign Affairs for the Party".

1934: Hitler granted Rosenberg responsibility for the spiritual and philosophical education of the Party and all related organizations.

1939: Again due to his strong knowledge of the Jewish question, he founded the "Institute for studies on the Jewish question" on Hitler's orders.

1939: The Second World War began.

1940: He founded his own operational staff, called Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (or Commando Rosenberg), which was mainly (if not exclusively) responsible for stealing works of art from all the occupied territories of Europe but particularly from France.

1940: He was made head of the Hohe Schule (literally "high school", but the German phrase refers to a college), the Centre of National Socialist Ideological and Educational Research.

1941: He was appointed minister of the occupied territories.

1942: He issued an Agrarian Law annulling all Soviet legislation on farming, restoring family farms for those willing to collaborate with the occupiers

1945: The Second World War ended.

1945: He was captured by the Allies.

1945: He was tried at the Nuremberg trials.

1946: He was found guilty and sentenced to death.

1946: He died.

Sources:

Wikipedia: Alfred Rosemberg

MIlitary Wiki: Alfred Rosemberg

❗❗I DON'T SUPPORT NAZISM,FASCISM OR ZIONISM IN ANY WAY, THIS IS JUST AN EDUCATIONAL POST❗❗

[another-danganronpa-fan]

What if the Ride the Cyclone choir was in a Danganronpa killing game?

This is my guess on what they'd be like, their talent, their deaths or if they survive, etc. Name: Ocean O'Connell Rosenberg

Ultimate: Senator

What they would do: Ocean would definitely be the one to take charge, like the Ishimaru of the game, but her speeches would be similar to the ones she had in the play.

If she were to be a victim, she'd probably be a victim to someone who's tired of her self-centred views. Or Noel.

If she were to kill someone, the motive would have to be really tempting. Or she might crack under the pressure of the killing game.

If she were to be a traitor or a MM, it would probably be because she wanted to use a twisted way to prove that what the world needs is people like her, and only people who work hard and are ambitious should be able to live.

If she were to be a survivor, she'd definitely see how her worldview was wrong in the end, and get the development she got in the play.

Misc. Things:

I see her participating a lot in the trials.

I can't really imagine her dying early...

Name: Constance Blackwood

Ultimate: Baker

What they would do: Constance would cheer everyone up with treats while Ocean does her speeches. She'd try and get along with everyone. She definitely wouldn't want any deaths.

If she were to be killed, I think someone would've taken advantage of her kindness...

If she were to be a killer, she'd be fed up with everyone acting as if being nice was all that there was to her. She'd snap just like she did in the musical. Or it might've been a motive that put her loved ones in danger.

If she were to be a traitor or a MM, it'd kinda be like Sakura, where she was practically manipulated into working for the MM or running the killing game. That, or she wants to prove through the killing game that she's more than just the "Nicest girl in town".

If she were to live, I think she'd have gotten through with her positivity and acceptance of being a nice girl, while proving to her peers that she's more than her title.

Misc. Things:

She gives me survivor vibes, but no one can say for sure.

She'll probably let her hair down in the end just like in the musical.

Name: Noel Gruber

Ultimate: Poet

What they would do: Definitely faints dramatically whenever someone dies. He might try and sacrifice himself for his friends. Passes out at the first execution.

If he were to be a victim, he'd probably have set up a death for himself. Either like a Nagito-style case or he worked with his killer so he could die in a tragic way instead of just getting a knife to the gut.

If he were to kill, I think he'd probably have tried to set up a heartbreaking murder. He would want his case to be like one of those tragedies he loves so much.

Or, the motive could've been tempting. I'm not sure what motive would tempt Noel, though. Maybe one that puts his loved ones in danger? He might also be channeling his inner Monique, and stab someone 10 times in the back.

If he were to be a traitor or a MM, he'd want this to be like a story. Like a French New Wave cinema-style story. People sobbing as their loved ones bleed out. Noel himself getting killed or being driven to kill, or seeing his loved ones die, it would be exhilarating for traitor/MM Noel. Or his loved ones are in danger, so he gets roped into the killing game. I don't think Noel would actually have the heart to do this for his own twisted enjoyment, but he might...

If he were to survive the killing game, he might write poems to honour the dead students. He might also realize maybe a tragedy wasn't what he wanted, after all.

Misc. Things:

Either he or Constance would slap Ocean over one of her rants.

Name: Mischa Bachinski

Ultimate: Rapper

What they would do: He'd also cry at the dead bodies, especially if his friends were to die. He'd try and kill the host of the killing game at the beginning. He'd be trying to text Talia through his MonoPad.

If he were to be a victim, he'd get killed from being reckless. Either provoking someone to the point of them snapping, or getting killed in self defence. Another possibility is him choosing to sacrifice himself. If he were to kill, the motive would have to endanger his loved ones, or have something to do with Talia. Maybe the motive shows that Talia was hurt, or in danger. Maybe his friends in the killing game would get hurt. Or his mom back in Ukraine would only be saved if he chose to kill, the list goes on...

If he were to be a traitor/MM, he'd more likely to be have been coerced into it. He might be trying to save his mom, who he can't physically be with. He might be trying to protect his friends from worse things. Talia might be in danger. Or he might want to get revenge on the world. He's tired of constantly getting isolated. He's tired of his adoptive parents keeping him in the basement and showing him no love.

If he were to be a survivor, he'd dedicate his raps to his dead classmates. He'd mourn every single one of them, and at the end, he's especially respectful to them.

Misc. Things:

He might try and stop an execution like Fuyuhiko.

Definitely breaks down at least once.

Name: Richard "Ricky" Potts

Ultimate: Writer

What they would do: He'd be using an AAC device to talk, or using sign for the people that know it. He's good at comforting people. He tries to participate as much as he can in the trials. Since he can't walk, people tend to think of him as an easy target. But he might have people with him at all times, and Ricky is canonly wise. Since he can't talk without his device or signing, he would pay more attention to things like if there's something off about a body, or a case, or something.

If he were to be killed, it'd be someone taking advantage of him, and outsmarting him. It's also possible that he would sacrifice himself for the group. He concedes in the musical and he says he knew he didn't belong in this world. He probably wouldn't try and defend himself if someone were to attempt to take his life unless there was something important he needed to do.

If he were to kill someone, he'd need an accomplice if the death is gonna be from external injuries. Or he would poison someone, or set up a trap. His motive would be protecting loved ones.

If he were to be the traitor/MM, he'd be tired of people constantly speaking over him and him getting ignored all the time. He'd want people to see him as more than just the "disabled kid". More than just the kid who can't talk nor walk. He'd see them all as the "Count Dogulus" in the story. It would probably be because he wants to finally be treated normally, and in a killing game where everyone is helpless from the outside world at first, he'd be taken seriously.

If he were to live, he'd add his friends to his Zolar universe. He'd be surprised he made it out in the first place, and decide to live the rest of his life to the fullest.

Misc. Things:

Good at calming others down after a death.

Might not even bother locking his door, but who knows...

Name: Jane Doe (Penny Lamb at the end)

Ultimate: ??? (Penny Lamb as the Ultimate Drug Trafficker)

What they would do: As like in the musical, Jane would start out as a complete mystery, having no idea who she is and not being able to remember her talent. This time, the students all just assume it's because she got knocked out a little too hard at the entrance, and names her Jane Doe for the time being. She won't have a doll for a head, but she'll still have the appearance of when she did in the musical. Probably at the end, either the host, the mastermind, or the traitor would reveal that she is Penny Lamb. They'd show some pictures of her, but everyone would be confused on why they look so different. Maybe some Hajime-type stuff happened where they got brain surgery to fuse their personalities together, or maybe they'll get the surgery after either surviving the game or dying in the game. Whether Jane was Penny to begin with, or if she became her after, is up for debate, just like the musical. If she were to be a victim, she might have her head cut off...but in all seriousness, someone might find her suspicious and assume she's the one behind the game. They might trick her, as they believe she's gullible due to the memory loss.

If she were to be a blackened, it might be out of desperation for an identity, or out of despair over her amnesia. She's unlikely to kill, but if she does, she goes all out.

If she were to be a traitor or MM, it would probably be that for some reason, her identity got fused with Penny's, or she became Penny. Maybe she lost her memories long before the killing game, maybe she got into a roller coaster accident, like in the musical, survived, but got amnesia. She only survived because she was fused with Penny, and in order to regain the memories of her, and not just Penny, she maybe...puts herself and some classmates in a life-or-death situation to see if she can trigger the memories?

If she were to survive, she'd accept her identity she had all along or her new identity as Penny Lamb. Or she might finally get some answers.

Misc. Things:

She doesn't show a lot of emotion, even through deaths. She's a lot like her canon self here.

[lego-man-speer]

Nuremberg Defendants: Part 1, Alfred Rosenberg - Nazi Philosopher

I've created a new goal for 2024, which is to make posts about the defendants of the Nuremberg Trials. For the sake of the fact that there are already many Tumblr blogs that talk about specific figures from the trials, I won't be making these sort of posts for Göring or Speer. I made one for Hess a couple of months ago in response to an ask I received, which I will link here. These posts will be related to the lesser-talked-about defendants that stood trial and the first of these (because I'll be posting this on his birthday) will be Alfred Rosenberg.

-Alfred Ernst Rosenberg was born on the 12th of January 1893 in Reval (now Talinn), Estonia. His parents died when he was still fairly young and was raised mostly by his two parental aunts.

-What we know about Rosenberg's early life is very limited to what he wrote in his memoirs at Nuremberg. However, what we do know is that he had an elder brother called 'Janny', whose date of death is unknown (he had been arrested by the Soviets). From around his mid-teens he became interested in philosophy. We also know that some of his hobbies included sailing in the summer and ice skating in the winter, and that his nickname given to him by family (or at least referred to by his niece in letters) was 'Freddy'.

-Rosenberg had studied to be an architect and obtained his PhD in 1917. At his stays at home in Estonia he worked as a drawing teacher.

-Rosenberg spent the years of the First World War as a student. He had volunteered to serve in the army but was rejected on the grounds of his nationality. After the revolution in Russia, Rosenberg fled to Munich where he was taken in by Dietrich Eckart.

-Rosenberg had planned to continue with his career in architecture in Munich, but had eventually started working for the far-right newspaper 'Völkischer Beobachter' (English: People's Observer). This paper was sponsored by the Thule Society, a group that which Rosenberg was a member of (and adding onto this, Rosenberg was one of the very first to join the Nazi Party). In 1923 Rosenberg became editor-in-chief of the newspaper.

-Rosenberg, like all of the early members of the party, took part in the Beer Hall Putsch in 1923. Rosenberg had escaped from police and took refuge in the home of an old lady. After the Putsch, Hitler had named Rosenberg as leader of the Nazi movement. This was a tactical move made by Hitler, as Rosenberg was regarded as lazy and was not as dominant as other members of the movement (such as Julius Streicher - who I will be making a post on in the future). Hitler knew that there was no chance of Rosenberg completely taking control of the whole movement, which therefore secured Hitler's leadership, which was restored to him after being released from prison.

-Also in 1923, Rosenberg obtained a divorce from his first wife, Hilda Leesman. Hr married her in 1915, however she was often sick and never followed Rosenberg to Germany. Rosenberg presented himself as the guilty party when obtaining a divorce. His first wife died in 1928 from tuberculosis. Rosenberg married his second wife, Hedwig Kramer, in 1925 and the marriage lasted until Rosenberg's death. Together they had two children: a son that died in infancy, and a daughter, Irene, born in 1930.

-Rosenberg was also often the victim of numerous rumours. For example:

A common rumour was that Rosenberg was in fact Jewish. His last name obviously didn't help with these rumours. He also didn't put in much effort to clarifying his ethnic background (but this was to keep the rest of his family - occupied by the Soviets - safe).

A rumour spread mostly by Hermann Göring was that Rosenberg had been working as a French spy during World War 1.

Another rumour was that he had an “unsavoury romantic life” which included him attending orgies of both men and women. This was a rumour spread by Ernst Hanfstaengl. Hanfstaengl gives no source for this, however he is also incredibly biased against Rosenberg so we can also assume that this was made up.

-Rosenberg is most well-known for his book “The Myth of the 20th Century”. This book shows us his ideas of National Socialist philosophy, a form of National Socialism which he later claimed was never truly realised. The Myth sold around 1 million copies by the end of the Second World War. The book at the time was not translated into any other languages, as per Rosenberg's request, although a refined version was written by Rosenberg for use in schools (however Rosenberg personally disagreed with this too, believing it was for the youth themselves to develop their own ideas). It's also interesting that Hitler personally disliked The Myth. He claimed that it was something that ordinary people would not understand and made digs at Rosenberg's Baltic background.

-An important part of Rosenberg's ideology was his fierce anti-Christianity, especially in regards to the Catholic Church. Rosenberg himself was raised Protestant but believed there to be no need for Christianity, and also believed that Christianity was gradually dying out.

-Upon the Nazi's coming to power, Rosenberg's primary role was related to being the party's chief ideologist. This role undoubtedly had its limits. A specific example was the amount of real influence he had over schools. Rosenberg had no direct influence over schools and other party officials made sure that he could not intervene in schools. His desired plans for 'Hohe Schule' eventually had to be abandoned.

-In the Second World War, Rosenberg was given a big role, being made Reichsminister für die besetzten Ostgebiete (English: Reich Minister for the Eastern Occupied Territories) after Germany had made successful advances in the East. However, once again, Rosenberg's role was limited. He was constantly blocked by other party members (including Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, Minister for Occupied Ukraine Erich Koch, Hitler's private secretary Martin Bormann, as well as constant battle over authority with foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop).

-Rosenberg's position on the governance of the Eastern Territories was different to that of Erich Koch. Where Koch saw dictatorial opportunities in Ukraine, Rosenberg saw an opportunity to break up the USSR and allow for self-governance of the eventual newly-created states.

-Rosenberg was personally horrified by the treatment of Slavic peoples during the war and there are moments in which he intervened (as best as he could). There is no evidence that he intervened on behalf of Jews, but Dr Otto Bräutigam recorded an occasion where Rosenberg condemned 'wild excesses' against Jews in Russia (however this does not mean that his opinions on Jews and anti-semitism had suddenly changed, they did not). Rosenberg had a principle that some ethnic groups were 'more deserving' than others, and this basis had saved lives of prisoners of war by getting separate camps set up for them and sending out inspectors to tour them. Although Rosenberg's motives were often not clear, his interventions were usually on the side of sanity and in some cases humanity.

-After the failures of Stalingrad and when territory in the East began to erode, Rosenberg's role as Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories became increasingly meaningless. Only in 1944 did Rosenberg pluck up the courage to send a letter of resignation to Hitler, however Hitler did not bother to respond to this letter. It's suggested that if Rosenberg had resigned in 1943 (as advised by the staff that worked under him), it's likely that he would have been spared by the hangman's noose.

-Prior to his capture in May 1945, Rosenberg had considered committing suicide along with the rest of his family to avoid capture by the Russians. He had acquired enough cyanide for himself, his wife and his daughter. However, Rosenberg had a change of heart, apparently throwing the cyanide into the sea at Flensburg (according to his Nuremberg memoirs). After this Rosenberg had sprained his ankle (throughout adulthood he always had problems with his foot) and had to be taken to a military hospital where Rosenberg then gave himself up to the Allies. Albert Speer claims that Rosenberg was drunk when he sprained his ankle, however Speer was not present nor did he provide a source for this information. Rosenberg claims that he was not drunk but had to be carried.

-In the Nuremberg Trials Rosenberg was defended by Dr Alfred Thoma. Rosenberg's examinations by the prosecutors at Nuremberg are fairly awkward. For example, the Russian prosecutor M. Y. Raginsky gave a description of Rosenberg's authorisation of the removal to the Reich in 1944 of 40,000 homeless Russian orphans (this is something I will refer back to again shortly), but the prosecutor fell silent when Rosenberg alleged that a similar number of adults had been deported to the USSR in 1940 from the states of Latvia and Estonia. US prosecutors also had their awkward moments, for example Thomas Dodd who heatedly accused Rosenberg of persecuting religion.

-Coming back to my mention of the removal of Russian orphans to the Reich: although Rosenberg could not deny that he authorised the removal, to Rosenberg's credit he could maintain that he had cared of the wellbeing of the children and had visited the camp near Dessau. Dr. Thoma insisted that Rosenberg took charge of them at the personal request of Field-Marshall von Kluge, who feared that they would otherwise fall into the hands of Fritz Sauckel. There is also confusion of the numbers involved. The Russian prosecutor alleged 40,000 orphans; whereas Dr. Thoma admitted to 20,000. However, expert opinion now suggests that the real figure was somewhere between 2,500 to 3,000 orphans.

-Rosenberg followed trial proceedings very closely whenever it concerned him personally. On several occasions while being examined but the Russians, he tried to intervene to check the the translation, which he claimed to be distorting what he had said. Whenever he wasn't being examined, he tended to lose interest and spent his time making pencil sketches of witnesses.

-Although Dr. Thoma did his best, Rosenberg's defence was handicapped for a number of reasons. One of the main reasons was that documents and witnesses were provided at the indulgence of the prosecution. Rosenberg had tried to call a witness to testify on behalf of his work in German-English relations, however there was o response. Another reason is that Rosenberg himself gave complicated answers when being examined, so much so that even Dr. Thoma had asked him to be more concise.

-Rosenberg was found guilty on all four counts of the indictment of the tribunal and was sentenced to death by hanging. Upon the scaffold when asked if he had any last words Rosenberg said “no”, being the only criminal condemned to the gallows to have no last words. Rosenberg was hung in the early hours of October 16th, 1946.

[little-rat-man]

[ridenwithbiden]

Just a few months ago, it was hard to see the ingredients of a Joe Biden comeback—even while squinting at the recipe.

The president began the election year with his approval rating at historic lows. He was trailing Donald Trump in almost all of the key battleground states, as well as in national polling averages. Influential liberals were so concerned that the octogenarian incumbent did not have another campaign in him that some were openly calling for him to be replaced as the nominee.

As the general election kicks off this spring, however, those calls have quieted—because Biden’s resurgence is coming into focus. While the president still faces serious obstacles to a second term, several important data points are lining up to demonstrate he is picking up badly needed momentum.

For the first time in a long time, there’s good news for Biden on the polling front. Gradual improvements in the battleground states along with an uptick in his approval rating led one Democratic strategist, Simon Rosenberg, to declare “the Biden bump.”

The boost is at the very least correlated with Biden’s fiery State of the Union address on March 7, when he repeatedly went after his “predecessor” and made sure to mix it up with Republicans in the chamber on a few occasions.

Since then, Biden’s team has continued the punchy, combative tone on display that night, using press releases to cheekily slam their legally challenged opponent as “Broke Don.”

On top of that, the Biden campaign has continued to flex what has always been its core strength: fundraising.

With a $53 million haul in February, the Biden campaign built on their already impressive financial advantage over Trump, who brought in only $20 million over the same period. The Biden campaign has $71 million in cash on hand, compared to just $33.5 million for Trump.

The tide is turning, a Biden adviser argued to The Daily Beast, and although they aren’t putting too much stock into any recent polling upticks, the president’s team is ready to seize upon April and May as a crucial time to ambush a wounded Trump campaign.

“It’s aggressive,” a source within the Biden campaign said, requesting anonymity to speak candidly of the mood inside the re-election team. “There’s a lot of travel, there’s a lot of work. It’s all exciting. We’re heading into this final fundraiser of the month with the former presidents [Obama and Clinton], but it’s aggressive.”

Taking advantage of a substantial fundraising lead, the Biden campaign is focusing on two key areas: travel and organizing.

Since his State of the Union, Biden has visited every major battleground state—typically pairing official White House stops with separate private campaign events—in an effort to demonstrate his ability to keep an energetic schedule.

Trump, on the other hand, has only done a rally in Ohio and another in the battleground state of Georgia since Super Tuesday. Otherwise, he’s mostly been confined to his Mar-a-Lago estate as he prepares to spend the second half of April and most of May stuck in a Manhattan court four days a week for the upcoming Stormy Daniels hush money trial.

Second, the Biden campaign is going full steam ahead on hiring in the battleground states, approaching 100 field offices with more than 130 staffers spread across eight major battleground states: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada, as well as North Carolina and New Hampshire.

Such investments mean that Biden can begin the crucial work of mobilizing voters early. The Trump campaign, by comparison, could not tell The Daily Beast whether they have made any additional hires or opened any field offices in the battleground states, beyond shifting over the same team focused on early primary and Super Tuesday states.

In an election which will likely be decided by less than tens of thousands of votes in a handful of battlegrounds, the Biden campaign is focusing on gaining as much as they can at the margins now to catch up to Trump.

Ramping up their field organizing, along with getting Biden on the road and in front of cameras to show he still has the energy to campaign at full throttle, is an opportunity they can’t afford to miss while Trump remains mired in legal and financial problems.

“I think the president is beginning to do the very important work that wins elections, which is travel the country, set the tone for what this election will be about, and build a coalition and build an operation that builds a winning coalition,” Kevin Munoz, Biden’s national campaign spokesperson, told The Daily Beast in a phone interview.

“At the same time that Donald Trump has very real infrastructure issues, has no interest in building a winning coalition and is actively attacking the voters that will decide this election, ultimately this will come down to those voters,” Munoz said.

Chris LaCivita—a top Trump campaign adviser who is also the chief operating officer of the Republican National Committee—rejected the idea that the former president’s team should disclose its organizing plans.

“By combining forces and operations, The Trump campaign and RNC are deploying operations that are fueled by passionate volunteers who care about saving America and firing Joe Biden. We do not feel obligated however to discuss the specifics of our strategy, timing and tactics with members of the News Media,” LaCivita told The Daily Beast.

“Democrats want to talk process because they don’t want to talk about Broken Braindead Biden and his absolute failure,” LaCivita argued. “The media should not do Democrats’ bidding and should focus on the issues the American people care about.”

Still, for a Trump operation obsessed with polls, the first cracks in the former president’s so-far dominant lead are beginning to appear.

Biden’s approval rating has seen an uptick in the FiveThirtyEight rolling average—jumping up from under 38 percent on March 12 to over 40 percent approval just two weeks later—and pulling ahead in The Economist’s head-to-head polling average for the first time since September.

To add to the Biden campaign’s morale boost—even though his team tends to reject the value of polls this far out from an election—Biden led Trump in three polls last week alone.

While there remain undecided voters in key states, the Biden campaign will worry more about them later, given the abundant data on how undecided voters are very often late deciding voters as well.

The Biden campaign is eyeing the late spring and early summer to start focusing their messaging on persuading undecided voters, according to the senior aide, with the present focus continuing to be building out their door knocking infrastructure to make sure core voters show up to cast their ballot no matter what.

“That’s what matters at this point in the cycle,” Munoz said. “And I think we have a very good story to tell, not only on the operation we’re building, but also on the issues that we’re fighting for. These are the issues that when Americans go to the ballot box, they care most about, and Donald Trump is running on an agenda that people actively root against when they go to the ballot box.”

The Trump campaign has their own version of such an argument—one they believe will make Biden’s campaign hires irrelevant.

“The Trump campaign will raise the money, deploy the necessary assets, and win because President Trump will secure the border, make American families more prosperous, and make our nation respected on the world stage,” Trump campaign spokesperson Danielle Alvarez said in a statement to The Daily Beast.

Veterans of the presidential campaign trail, however, think these seemingly small moves in isolation can make quite a big difference when put together over the long haul.

Jim Messina, who served as Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign manager, argued that Biden is in a stronger position to win than Trump given the cards they’ve been dealt.

“I like to play poker and I would simply much rather have Biden’s cards than Trump’s,” Messina said.

Biden’s two key advantages, according to Messina, are on the economy and the legal front.

“The economy is improving and people are feeling it, Biden has an affirmative message, and Trump will continue to remind independents why they voted against him in 2020 by campaigning from a courtroom,” he said.

Matt Grossman, a political scientist with Michigan State University, said it very well could be the case that March marks the nadir of Biden’s polling woes, but added a note of caution for the president’s campaign.

“My question has been what kind of message is likely to work this time,” Grossman said. “In 2020 we had strong evidence people had already made up their mind about Donald Trump, but not Joe Biden… Now we have two very well-known candidates, so it would make me expect the efficacy of any persuasion effort would be less.”

With two such well-known candidates and some 70 percent of the public weary of a 2020 rematch, the little things could count even more this time around.

“If it’s close to a 50-50 election, then minor things can still move the outcome. And certainly overall, there’s evidence that more contact is better, to deliver both turnout and persuasion messages more is better,” Grossman said.

“They’re just trying to get any small advantage they can.”