In Conversation with Anna Sebba

In Anne Sebba's new biography she examines the execution of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, accused at the height of cold war hysteria in America of being spies for Russia.

Sebba has drawn together so many strands - historical, sociological, political, legal and human - to tell the whole tragic story. From the couple's naivety, to America's existential fears of Communism, to the gross mishandling and corruption during the trial to the way Ethel was perceived at the time and since.

This is a riveting account of what can happen when fear and paranoia take over and when the rule of law is flouted.

The book is Ethel Rosenberg: A Cold War Tragedy (Hachette). This interview was for Sydney Jewish Writers Festival.