Ruth Greenglass

Ruth Leah Greenglass (née Printz; April 30, 1924 – April 7, 2008) was an American citizen who acted as a spy for the Soviet Union along with her husband, David Greenglass.

Early life

Ruth Leah Printz was born to a Jewish family on April 30, 1924, in New York City to Max Printz and Tillie Leiter.

David wrote to his wife, "My darling, I most certainly will be glad to be part of the community project (espionage) that Julius and his friends (the Russians) have in mind."

After her husband was drafted and inducted into the Army in 1943, Ruth continued to visit him. In November 1944, she visited him in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he was working as a machinist on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos. During that visit, she asked him to forward any information on the project to his brother-in-law, Julius.

Rosenberg trial When the FBI questioned him about suspected espionage activities, David agreed to confess to his activities and to testify against Julius and Ethel Rosenberg in exchange for immunity for his wife so that she could remain at home with their two children.

At the trial, Ruth implicated Ethel in the espionage ring by testifying that Ethel had typed the notes that David had provided. Ruth testified that both Rosenbergs had urged her to persuade her husband to become involved in espionage. Ruth's testimony was crucial in securing Ethel's conviction.

Later life She rejoined her husband after his release from prison in 1960, and they lived in New York City under assumed names with their children.

Reliability The truth of Ruth Printz Greenglass's testimony at the Rosenberg trial has been questioned.

In September 2008, her grand jury transcripts were released and showed that when testifying before the grand jury in August 1950, she was asked, "Didn't you write the information down on a piece of paper?" She replied, "Yes, I wrote the information down on a piece of paper and Julius Rosenberg took it with him."

At the trial, she testified that Ethel had typed the notes about the atomic bomb.