Read the excerpt from the Judge Irving Kaufman’s statement sentencing Julius and Ethel Rosenberg to be executed in 1951. "No one can say that we do not live in a constant state of tension. We have evidence of your treachery all around us every day—for the civilian defense activities throughout the nation are aimed at preparing us for an atom bomb attack.”

Based on the excerpt, which is the best reason that the Rosenbergs’ actions required such a severe sentence?

A. There was a need to make citizens fear being called communist.
B. The sentence was needed to ease the tension Americans were feeling.
C. The secrets given to the USSR could leave the US open to atomic attack.
D. The judge wanted to make Americans watch their neighbors for signs of treason.