‘No evidence’ that Anne Frank was betrayed to Nazis
Anne Frank may not have been betrayed to the Nazis, but captured by chance.
A new study published yesterday by the Anne Frank House museum in Amsterdam says that despite decades of research, there is no conclusive evidence that the Jewish diarist and her family were betrayed to the Netherlands’ German occupiers during World War II, leading to their arrest and deportation.
Ronald Leopold, executive director of the Anne Frank House museum, said new research by the museum ‘‘illustrates that other scenarios should also be considered’’.
One possible theory is that the August 4, 1944 raid that led to Anne’s arrest could have been part of an investigation into illegal labour or falsified ration coupons at the canalside house where she and other Jews hid for just over two years.
Anne kept a diary during her time in hiding, which was published after the war and turned her into a globally recognised symbol of Holocaust victims. She died in the Bergen-Belsen Nazi concentration camp at age 15, shortly before it was liberated by Allied forces.
The new research points to two men who worked in the building on Amsterdam’s Prinsengracht canal and dealt in illegal ration cards. They were arrested earlier in 1944 and subsequently released, Dutch records show. The arrests are mentioned in Anne’s diary.
Such arrests were reported to an investigation division based in The Hague and the report says that ‘‘during their day-to-day activities, investigators from this department often came across Jews in hiding by chance’’.