The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation(119)
Ans van Dijk was a V-Frau (a collaborator who betrayed Jews in hiding). She was the only Dutch woman to be executed for her wartime activities. 1947, AFH/IISG, International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam
Like Otto Frank, Auguste van Pels and her husband were born in Germany but moved to Amsterdam to escape the rise of Nazism.
Hermann van Pels had been an herbalist with Otto Frank’s company before he, his wife, and his son joined the Franks in hiding. Fotobureau Actueel, courtesy of the Anne Frank House, Amsterdam
Peter van Pels, who went into hiding with his parents, the Franks, and the dentist Fritz Pfeffer. 1942, courtesy of the Anne Frank House, Amsterdam
The Jewish Council for Amsterdam, 1942. A very powerful, controversial group. Some prominent members included (seated, left to right) Abraham Asscher (first), David Cohen (third from left), and Arnold van den Bergh (fifth from left). The College of the Jewish Council for Amsterdam, 1942, copyright ? Image Bank WW2—NIOD—Joh. De Haas
Some snapshots of a young, happy Anne. May 1939, courtesy of the Anne Frank House, Amsterdam
The last page of Anne’s diary, written just before the family was arrested. It was one of the pieces of writing Miep kept in her drawer as she awaited Anne’s return. 1944, copyright ? Tallandier/Bridgeman Images
Amsterdam. Note how close together the residences are. The building highlighted in blue houses Otto Frank’s business, Opekta, and the section in green illustrates the Annex. Note the courtyard with the chestnut tree that Anne wrote about in her diary. Copyright ? Luchtvaart Museum Aviodrome
The “Wall of Shame” in the Proditione office in Amsterdam. The SD photos are of police officers involved with the Nazis’ intelligence agency. The V is for V-men and -women, paid informants who worked to help find and capture Jews. Courtesy of Vince Pankoke
The anonymous note that would turn the case. Courtesy of Monique Koemans
The diagram showing just how complicated the relationships between the Anne Frank organizations are. Courtesy of Proditione
The interactive map produced by Xomnia, the Dutch data company to which the Cold Case Team provided raw data. The red circles with triangles show the addresses of known collaborators obtained from lists compiled by the Resistance. The yellow circles indicate SD informants who were identified from a list found in the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
Prinsengracht 263–267, the hiding place, now a museum and landmark. 2018, courtesy of the Anne Frank House, Amsterdam
A diagram Vince Pankoke made to narrow down the motives and submotives behind the raid on the Annex. Courtesy of Vince Pankoke
A model of the warehouse and the Annex. Illustration of the Anne Frank House by Chantal van Wessel and Frédérik Ruys, www.vizualism.com ? 2010, 2012 Anne Frank Stichting, Amsterdam
Director of research Pieter van Twisk, reviewing some of the latest discoveries with researcher Circe de Bruin. Courtesy of Proditione
Two more views of the Wall of Shame, with detailed notes. “Escaped to Argentina” for the SD officer (left) and “Executed” for Ans van Dijk (right). Courtesy of Proditione
Left to right: Cold Case Team researchers Circe de Bruin, Nienke Filius, and Nina Kaiser meticulously examining thousands of archival documents. Courtesy of Proditione
Left to right: Pieter van Twisk, Thijs Bayens, and Vince Pankoke in the early days of the investigation. Courtesy of Vince Pankoke
Bernhard Haas, legendary document examiner. The team consulted him at his home in Winnenden, Germany. Courtesy of Bernhard Haas
Left to right: Monique Koemans, Vince Pankoke, and Brendan Rook. Courtesy of Proditione
About the Author
ROSEMARY SULLIVAN, the author of fifteen books, is best known for her recent biography Stalin’s Daughter. Published in twenty-three countries, it won the Biographers International Organization Plutarch Award and was a finalist for the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her book Villa Air-Bel was awarded the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem Award in Holocaust History. She is a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto and has lectured in Canada, the United States, Europe, India, and Latin America.
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