Sobell, Morton, 1917-2018

Morton Sobell (April 11, 1917 – December 26, 2018) was an American engineer who is known for having been convicted of spying for the Soviet Union when it was an ally of the United States during late World War II; he was charged as part of a conspiracy said to include Julius Rosenberg and his wife, and others. Sobell worked on military and government contracts with General Electric and Reeves Electronics in the 1940s, including during World War II. Sobell was tried and convicted of espionage in 1951 and sentenced to 30 years in prison. He was released in 1969 after serving 17 years and 9 months in prison. After that he became an advocate of progressive causes, conducting public speaking and traveling to Vietnam during the war, to East Germany before the fall of the Soviet Union, and to Cuba.