New research calls into question ongoing speculation that Anne Frank’s hiding place was outed to police by an anonymous informant.
New research calls into question ongoing speculation that Anne Frank’s hiding place was outed to police by an anonymous informant, reports the BBC.
In a release posted on Friday, the Anne Frank House explains that it decided to take a fresh look at her controversial discovery from a perspective of why the raid happened, not who caused it.
Based on their assessment, the team determined that, at the building where her secret annex was located, “illegal work and fraud with ration coupons was also taking place.”
The release notes that “it is possible that the SD [German Security Service] searched the building because of this illegal work and fraud with ration coupons, and that the SD investigators discovered Anne Frank and the seven others in hiding simply by chance.”
The research itself points to an indication of her link with this activity, citing a section in her diary where she wrote about two salesmen, “B. and D. have been caught, so we have no coupons…”
The study then states, “This clearly indicates that the people in hiding got at least part of their ration coupons from these salesmen.”
Nevertheless, the team acknowledges that further research is needed since this hypothesis has not been proven nor has a potential betrayal been discounted.