And this classified information was not his to disclose.
It was not US gathered information, came from an ally (probably Jordan), was classified "coded" top secret information (i.e. compartmentalized to just a few top secret qualified folks) and not to be disclosed to other allies w/o consent of source.
The Rosenbergs died for less.
Alex
"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."
-- Isaac Asimov