Robert Coover - Public Burning

DEAD

STOP

END

I felt a rush of activity around me as I bulled forward. People turning to stare. Reporters lifting their cameras. Guards rushing toward the gate. Christ, I thought, afraid to look up at the towers, they might even try to shoot me! I couldn’t remember who I was supposed to be. All I could think of was Greenglass, but that wasn’t it. I glanced up and saw that on the other side of the fence some guy was barreling straight at me with a magazine held up in front of his face like a mask. In my panic I thought it might be me! That I was charging straight at a mirror! That I’d been inside all the time and was rushing out! But that there was no “out”! If life is all free flow, I wondered, bracing myself for this astounding collision, then how do such things happen? And if it is not, then what the hell am I doing here?

Human Dignity Is Not for Sale

A Last-Act Sing Sing Opera by Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

CAST

Julius Rosenberg, prisoner (tenor)

Ethel Rosenberg, prisoner (soprano)

James V. Bennett, Federal Director of the Bureau of Prisons (baritone)

The Warden (bass)

The Turnkey

A Matron

Choral effects, courtesy of Congressional Records under the direction of The Hon. Hale Boggs, Paul Shafer, Edward Martin, Overton Brooks, Frank Bow, Clarence Kilburn, Morgan Moulder, et al.

SCENE 1

The Sing Sing counsel room at 11 a.m., Tuesday, June 2, 1953 . JAMES is standing near the back wall under a huge diagram, much larger than life, of an electric chair with its various auxiliary elements: a dynamo, excitor, rheostat, volt and ampere meters, switches, attachment sockets, and so on, all of it wired up, labeled, and complete with instructions , JULIUS is brought into the room by the TURNKEY, who then retires, closing the door behind him . JULIUS glances curiously after the TURNKEY’S departure, since this is the first time he has ever been alone with anyone without an officer or Sing Sing official present . JAMES allows JULIUS to do a few anxious turns onstage, then steps forward to commence the Overture:

JAMES(Overture:) Mr. Brownell, the Attorney General, sent me to see you and he wants you to know that if you want to cooperate with the Government you can do so through me.

Furthermore, if you, Julius, can convince the officials that you have fully cooperated with the Government, they have a basis to recommend clemency!

JULIUS

( visibly shocked but struggling to maintain his temper and self-control )

In the first place, we are innocent!

That is the whole truth, and therefore we know nothing that would come under the meaning of the word “cooperate!”

JULIUS

JAMES( Duetto angoscioso: ) It isn’t necessary to beat me with clubs, but such a proposal is like what took place during the middle ages!

It is equivalent to the screw and rack! Why, do you know that I didn’t sleep last night when I knew I had to see you and Ethel the next day and talk to you about this matter?

I was terribly worried!

JULIUS

How do you think we feel, sitting here waiting for death for over two years when we are innocent?

( Aria: ) My family has gone through great suffering!

My sister had a breakdown!

My aged, ailing mother is tormented!

Our children have known much emotional and mental agony!

Then you talk to us about this?

Remember, Mr. Bennett, we love our country!

It is our home, the land of my children and my family!

We do not want its good name to be shamed and in justice and common decency, we should be allowed to live to prove our innocence!

JAMES

No — not a new trial. Only by cooperating will there be a basis for commutation. Look here, Julius, you didn’t deny that you do not know anything about the espionage.

JULIUS

I certainly did, and furthermore, did you read the trial record, sir?

JAMES

No, I did not, but you had dealings with Elizabeth Bentley.

JULIUS

I never did, and if you read the record, she said on the witness stand that she did not know me and never met me.

JAMES

But you had dealings with Gold, didn’t you?

JULIUS

Of course I didn’t. Gold also said on the stand he never met me or knew me. You should have read the record to be familiar with the facts!

JAMES

Oh, I read the newspaper accounts of it.

JULIUS

( aside to the audience )

It is interesting to note how they become convinced of their own lies and will not stick to the trial record of the case!

JAMES

Listen, Julius, I was just sent here, but if you agree, I will bring someone to see you who is thoroughly familiar with the case and you will try to convince him you have cooperated with the Government….

JULIUS

JAMES( Duet: ) What do you want to do?

Have him convince me

I am guilty when I am not!

You want him to put ideas in my head!

You will only be satisfied when I say the things you want me to say, but I will not lie about this matter! Look, Julius, Gordon Dean, the head of the Atomic Energy Commission, is a very good friend of mine and if he is convinced that you have cooperated fully and told all you know about espionage he will see the President and recommend clemency!

JULIUS( Aria: ) Our country has a reputation to maintain in the world and many of its friends are outraged at the barbaric sentence and the lack of justice in this case!

JAMES

I know there has been a lot of publicity in the case, but that is not germane….

JULIUS( Aria: ) You yourself, Mr. Bennett, as head of the Prison Bureau, You know

that Greenglass and Gold were together in the Tombs for nine months discussing the case, studying notes from a big looseleaf book, rehearsing testimony, talking to FBI agents, the prosecution, and their attorney! You know this

because the records of the Tombs will show it, and yet your department refused to give us an opportunity to subpoena these records to prove this! You know

that Greenglass was coached on the A-bomb-sketch testimony, both verbally and from notes! You know

that the prosecution has exculpating evidence that they are withholding from the court!

In short, we did not get a fair trial and we were framed! Now you want us

to admit that this big lie is the truth!

That we can never do!

The history of our country in freeing war criminals, Nazi and Fascist, in not putting to death traitors and spies, and yet, for the first time, making the Rosenbergs the worst criminals in all our history — you know this is not right!