The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation
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- Create Date：2022-02-26 06:52:32
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Rosemary Sullivan
- ISBN：0062892355
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Summary
Message on the website of the Dutch publisher:
In the book entitled The Betrayal of Anne Frank， the impression is created that the Jewish notary Arnold van den Bergh is the betrayer of Anne Frank， her family and the other people in hiding in the Secret Annex。 Based on expert reactions， we have come to the conclusion that the investigation team's conclusion that the betrayer was most probably Arnold van den Bergh is not adequately supported by the available factual material。 We apologise to anyone who feels offended by this book。 This applies in particular to the surviving relatives and other family members of Arnold van den Bergh。
Ambo|Anthos publishers
Using new technology， recently discovered documents and sophisticated investigative techniques， an international team—led by an obsessed former FBI agent—has finally solved the mystery that has haunted generations since World War II: Who betrayed Anne Frank and her family？ And why？
Over thirty million people have read The Diary of a Young Girl， the journal teen-aged Anne Frank kept while living in an attic with her family in Amsterdam during World War II， until the Nazis arrested them and sent Anne to her death in a concentration camp。 But despite the many works—journalism， books， plays and novels—devoted to Anne’s story， none has ever conclusively explained how the Franks and four other people managed to live in hiding undetected for over two years—and who or what finally brought the Nazis to their door。
With painstaking care， former FBI agent Vincent Pankoke and a team of indefatigable investigators pored over tens of thousands of pages of documents—some never-before-seen—and interviewed scores of descendants of people involved， both Nazi sympathizers and resisters， familiar with the Franks。 Utilizing methods developed by the FBI， the Cold Case Team painstakingly pieced together the months leading to the Franks’ arrest—and came to a shocking conclusion。
The Betrayal of Anne Frank is their riveting story。 Rosemary Sullivan introduces us to the investigators， explains the behavior of both the captives and their captors and profiles a group of suspects。 All the while， she vividly brings to life wartime Amsterdam: a place where no matter how wealthy， educated， or careful you were， you never knew whom you could trust。
In the book entitled The Betrayal of Anne Frank， the impression is created that the Jewish notary Arnold van den Bergh is the betrayer of Anne Frank， her family and the other people in hiding in the Secret Annex。 Based on expert reactions， we have come to the conclusion that the investigation team's conclusion that the betrayer was most probably Arnold van den Bergh is not adequately supported by the available factual material。 We apologise to anyone who feels offended by this book。 This applies in particular to the surviving relatives and other family members of Arnold van den Bergh。
Ambo|Anthos publishers
Using new technology， recently discovered documents and sophisticated investigative techniques， an international team—led by an obsessed former FBI agent—has finally solved the mystery that has haunted generations since World War II: Who betrayed Anne Frank and her family？ And why？
Over thirty million people have read The Diary of a Young Girl， the journal teen-aged Anne Frank kept while living in an attic with her family in Amsterdam during World War II， until the Nazis arrested them and sent Anne to her death in a concentration camp。 But despite the many works—journalism， books， plays and novels—devoted to Anne’s story， none has ever conclusively explained how the Franks and four other people managed to live in hiding undetected for over two years—and who or what finally brought the Nazis to their door。
With painstaking care， former FBI agent Vincent Pankoke and a team of indefatigable investigators pored over tens of thousands of pages of documents—some never-before-seen—and interviewed scores of descendants of people involved， both Nazi sympathizers and resisters， familiar with the Franks。 Utilizing methods developed by the FBI， the Cold Case Team painstakingly pieced together the months leading to the Franks’ arrest—and came to a shocking conclusion。
The Betrayal of Anne Frank is their riveting story。 Rosemary Sullivan introduces us to the investigators， explains the behavior of both the captives and their captors and profiles a group of suspects。 All the while， she vividly brings to life wartime Amsterdam: a place where no matter how wealthy， educated， or careful you were， you never knew whom you could trust。
Reviews
Lindsay Elizabeth
，
Every chapter， from beginning to end， kept me hook。 Such an incredible story told and in-depth analysis from so many perspectives。 This truly shows the vastness of the time period and spider-web of resources and connections。 Truly one of my favorite tellings and reminder of not to forget history。
ANU MALHOTRA
，
Very well written and an eyeopener。 Loved it。
Ellen
，
Not an easy read but well worth it。 The epilogue brings it all home to current events and the realization that history unfortunately can repeat itself。
Robyn Rabinowitz
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Although controversial and perhaps not completely conclusive， an engaging read about the cold case file investigation into who betrayed Anne Frank and the 7 others in hiding in the Secret Annex at 263 Prinsengracht。 Rosemary Sullivan writes an interesting account citing new information about the two earlier investigations into the betrayal， first immediately after the war in the mid 1940s， and then again in the early 1960s。 I wonder as to the validity of the theory that a Jewish Council member b Although controversial and perhaps not completely conclusive， an engaging read about the cold case file investigation into who betrayed Anne Frank and the 7 others in hiding in the Secret Annex at 263 Prinsengracht。 Rosemary Sullivan writes an interesting account citing new information about the two earlier investigations into the betrayal， first immediately after the war in the mid 1940s， and then again in the early 1960s。 I wonder as to the validity of the theory that a Jewish Council member betrayed the hiders; whether he knew who were the families he was betraying， or simply that he had access to an address of Jews in hiding， and possibly other addresses of other Jews in hiding。 What one man would do to spare his own family。 After 77 years， we may never know the truth。 。。。more
Dee Tighe
，
Ok
Alicia Primer
，
Compellingly written aftermath of the tragic story we all know: Anne Frank’s。 Pretty convincing evidence that the betrayer was found until I googled the book and found that many people don’t believe it。 What to think？
Trisha
，
This book was near impossible to put down。 I did have to though， because…life。 But it’s quite the surprise after so many years！ Wow。 Otto’s strength of character， to me， is admirable。 While some may have seen him as foolish…he was a remarkable man to make the decision that all people connected to one man NOT be put through callous treatment。 Otto lost everything…and proceeded with compassion。Recommend！！
Annina Barbosa
，
Altamente especulativo。 Ou seja， um perigo， quase uma irresponsabilidade。
Rachel Askew
，
If you’re interested in WWII history， especially the story of Anne Frank and her family， you will love this book。 It was intriguing to read about the various possibilities of who betrayed the Franks and who it probably was。 I feel that the author could have been more clear at times。 There were so many people， names， places， and timeframes discussed that it was difficult to keep track。 I wish the glossary included all people for clarification。
Pearl Grace
，
Fascinating！
Kathy
，
Interesting story about the hiding of Jewish holocaust victims and the research on how the annex was found and how the Frank family was discovered
Keith Palazzo
，
Finally ClosureYears of research has gone into this book and countless man hours。 And it shows。 This case was treated like a real criminal case。 The final outcome with naming the individual who turned in the Frank’s and friends in may not stand up in a real live court today but the author surely makes a very compelling case。 Very detailed and eye opening。 Recommend highly。
Kayla Hawkins
，
I love learning about the Holocaust it’s been very eye opening what all the Jews had to go through。 I loved Anne Frank as a kid and have always wondered who betrayed her and her family/friends。 This book is definitely full of research and some parts very slow and boring。 I also couldn’t just sit and read it for very long because it’s a lot of information all at once。 Towards the end I did skip a lot of pages because I couldn’t get into it。 But in the end I found out who betrayed the Franks。
Dorothy Mahoney
，
The subtitle: "Less a mystery unsolved than a secret well kept"， becomes the heart of this investigation as various suspects are one by one dropped as research of archives （spread all over the world） is revealed and the terror of the times is made real。 As stated in the afterword， it is most likely that more information will come to light as more people read the discoveries in the book。 A massive endeavor of five years， a cold case team of professionals and many more whose lives were changed by The subtitle: "Less a mystery unsolved than a secret well kept"， becomes the heart of this investigation as various suspects are one by one dropped as research of archives （spread all over the world） is revealed and the terror of the times is made real。 As stated in the afterword， it is most likely that more information will come to light as more people read the discoveries in the book。 A massive endeavor of five years， a cold case team of professionals and many more whose lives were changed by this period of history。 The photographs of Anne， her family and friends， the annex and the research boards are a valuable addition。 A convincing outcome。 。。。more
Samantha Hansford
，
First section was harder to get through， the getting the team together and what not， but once the investigation got started it was a page turner to the conclusion
Mariangela
，
Un bel libro di inchiesta。Ripercorre gli anni della persecuzione degli ebrei， racconta l'indagine su chi ha tradito la famiglia Frank。 Un bel libro di inchiesta。Ripercorre gli anni della persecuzione degli ebrei， racconta l'indagine su chi ha tradito la famiglia Frank。 。。。more
Creolecat
，
3。5
Rachel
，
I am aware of the controversy surrounding this book and went into it anyway。 I had access to both the ebook and the audio （narrated by the fabulous Julia Whelan） which I like to do particularly with non fiction so I can view the maps and photos but also hear *hopefully* the correct pronunciation of words and names。 I found the history and the research fascinating as well as the list of suspects interesting。 I'm thankful that there is still interest in cold cases no matter how big or little。 I am aware of the controversy surrounding this book and went into it anyway。 I had access to both the ebook and the audio （narrated by the fabulous Julia Whelan） which I like to do particularly with non fiction so I can view the maps and photos but also hear *hopefully* the correct pronunciation of words and names。 I found the history and the research fascinating as well as the list of suspects interesting。 I'm thankful that there is still interest in cold cases no matter how big or little。 。。。more
Amanda
，
I dont think I can rate this story。
Katey Thompson
，
A further instalment of a story that has haunted me since first reading Anne Frank’s diary as a young girl。 The questions and history the investigation explored are well worth us remembering， if only to avoid such tragedies ever being repeated。 That is why her father shared Anne’s words in the first place， so we would “know that fascism [evil] builds slowly and then one day it is an iron wall that looms and cannot be circumvented… know what can be lost and how fast it can happen。”
Hallie Barnhill
，
Great synopsis of their investigation。 As someone who does not speak Dutch， I would have preferred to listen to it as an audio book or podcast so as to understand the pronunciations。 The author was somehow able to summarize what is very thick detailed content into a pleasantly digestible read。
Mary
，
Wowsies。。。 I don't know what to say。 I am no expert in History， WWII， the Holocaust or anything in this book had to do with。 Because of that， I am very conflicted on how to rate this book。 I decided to give it 3 stars for these specific reasons （which I'll try to explain more in detail here in a couple）: 1。 Non-fiction， in general， is hard to rate， especially if you're not confident in the content， but you try to be objective about it: did I learn something new from it？， how opinionated does t Wowsies。。。 I don't know what to say。 I am no expert in History， WWII， the Holocaust or anything in this book had to do with。 Because of that， I am very conflicted on how to rate this book。 I decided to give it 3 stars for these specific reasons （which I'll try to explain more in detail here in a couple）: 1。 Non-fiction， in general， is hard to rate， especially if you're not confident in the content， but you try to be objective about it: did I learn something new from it？， how opinionated does this theory/topic sound？。 This is a very sensitive topic -- again I am not familiar enough to rate this accordingly and still be able to defend that rating。2。 I came in to this book expecting a true crime vibe similar to those of the Zodiac Killer or The Golden State Killer， will me saying I felt a tad disappointed make me a monster？ The Diary of Anne Frank is a classic memoir/biography/autobiography that you just grow up reading because it's automatically required in school。 I've probably had to read her book at least 3x in my school career （life？）。 She is huge！！ Her story is one of many devastating stories of the Holocaust that have surfaced and survived censorship。 Now， just because I've read her diary multiple time does not make me an expert， nor am I trying to be one， but the title of this book did draw me in with the "why" it happened。With that out of the way， here are my reasons for giving this book 3 stars: Point #1: Non-Fiction/History As the title suggests， this book tries （or does） to find out if and who betrayed Anne Frank and her family。 So like many history books it starts of generic -- providing information that most people would know about WWII， Anne Frank， etc。 As I kept reading， some of the material seemed repetitive and/or dry -- like I know history tends to lean that way， but still。**On a side note， I will say that the investigating team seemed intense and obsessed with this manhunt; I was left kinda dumbfounded。 There were the main investigators， plus all the "helpers，" which if I remember correctly was like 200（？ -- I'm really bad at remembering numbers） people。 Like that's a lot of people to be involved in a case （right？ -- although considering what the investigation is about and whom that really shouldn't surprise me）。Now， just because they were very thorough， some of what they rediscovered left me with more questions。 This whole book， like I know Sullivan was just asked to write the book based on the research from the investigating team， it seemed to leave me discombobulated。 Maybe I'm just not the person to be reading history -- idk 🤷♀️。 There were some things that seemed forced -- like you could easily tell that the author was trying really hard to have come across。Like I've mentioned a thousand times already， I'm not an expert， but for some reason I am not 100% convinced with the investigation's verdict。 Like I understand that it's a good， well searched theory， but I feel like there's still a lot of gray area to make anything conclusive。 Which at this point to me， this book becomes very opinionated -- like it's trying to convince me that they solved the mystery， no questions asked， yet they questioned themselves on similar but different subjects: （view spoiler）[ like why would Otto bother to protect Van den Bergh for all those years？ Why did the author make the comparison of "they both decided to protect their families， one just made a bad choice" （hide spoiler）] （it's not a complete/direct quote since I listened to the audio & didn't write it down word for word）。 So if you want to know a definitive culprit， this is not your book。 If you want to learn about the processes & interviews leading up to the conclusion regardless of the answer， than this book may be for you。This topic may trigger a lot of people， and I'm not talking about just emotionally。 Before I read decided to read this， I looked at other reviews。 Some were pretty angry reviews while others were amazed， mainly at the details involving the investigation rather than the results。 I came in a sort of neutrality when reading （by that I mean listening）。 After having read it， I can see why people could be offended -- the perpetrator being named cannot defend themselves against such accusations， Otto has already passed away， so there's no way to confirm or at least have some [other] final questions answered。 I can also see the other side of the coin: the investigation was intense -- all that detail was astonishing。 Like I mentioned earlier， it did become repetitive， but I feel like that's how it would be when you have to interview various people， ask very similar questions， etc。This book is definitely one of those that the questions it asks intrigues you more than the question is answers。 Point #2: Is it really a true crime In my lowly opinion， no。 The true crime I'm used to reading is a lot juicier （please don't hate me）。 This book has the appeal of a true crime， especially with all those investigative details it gives， but it definitely leans more toward the history side。Would I recommend this？ Yes， just not to everybody -- and I know that sounds bad， but truthfully， this type of book is for avid non-fiction readers， history lovers， and well-rounded true crime readers （not like me that only reads mainstream serial killer true crime books）。 。。。more
Samantha
，
4。25 stars
Rebecca
，
This was really interesting。 I listened to this。 There were a lot of names though so it could sometimes get confusing keeping them all straight。
Anne
，
While I learned more about the SD activities in Amsterdam & more about Otto Frank after the war， most of the book was a litany of historical facts that are fairly well known。The conclusion is not convincing。
Katherine
，
It didn't end the way I expected and some might find it unsatisfying in a way because there is no satisfaction of seeing a Villain Punished。 But it acknowledges some dark and difficult things and the fact that there aren't as many villains in the world as you might think。 Nazis -> definitely villains。 Those put into situations where they have to make hard choices -> not always the villains you may want them to be。 It didn't end the way I expected and some might find it unsatisfying in a way because there is no satisfaction of seeing a Villain Punished。 But it acknowledges some dark and difficult things and the fact that there aren't as many villains in the world as you might think。 Nazis -> definitely villains。 Those put into situations where they have to make hard choices -> not always the villains you may want them to be。 。。。more
Emily
，
It's hard to call a nonfiction book "slow，" since cold cases are inherently that way， but I really got bogged down in the middle of The Betrayal of Anne Frank。 I appreciate that the author was trying to be thorough， but I think she could have edited some of the details and rabbit holes out of her book。 Otherwise， this is a unique story that I'm glad I read。 It's hard to call a nonfiction book "slow，" since cold cases are inherently that way， but I really got bogged down in the middle of The Betrayal of Anne Frank。 I appreciate that the author was trying to be thorough， but I think she could have edited some of the details and rabbit holes out of her book。 Otherwise， this is a unique story that I'm glad I read。 。。。more
Vickie Bliven-Shields
，
It’s always hard to read about the Holocaust。 So much tragedy。 It breaks my heart that this evilness is still alive in this world。
Alyssa Canosa
，
I found this book easy to read。 I am not entirely convinced of their betrayer but I can understand how he can possibly be the person。 In thinking of who the betrayer was so far， I never considered it being who they present it to be， but it does make sense。 What I more so appreciated about this book was learning more about the Netherlands role in WWII。 A few years ago I had the privilege of going to Amsterdam （including the Anne Frank house） and found the history of the country incredibly interes I found this book easy to read。 I am not entirely convinced of their betrayer but I can understand how he can possibly be the person。 In thinking of who the betrayer was so far， I never considered it being who they present it to be， but it does make sense。 What I more so appreciated about this book was learning more about the Netherlands role in WWII。 A few years ago I had the privilege of going to Amsterdam （including the Anne Frank house） and found the history of the country incredibly interesting especially in regards to WWII。 There was a map I had learned about during my visit there that is very powerful and I'm surprised that visual wasn't in the book。 This book provided some more information about life during that time， how things worked and the encouragement and ease to betray others。 Unfortunately， in my personal schooling in the USA， I didn't learn about the people outside of the concentration camps during WWII and this book will provide readers with insight， albeit very minimal， to how life was during that time to those not imprisoned or in hiding， but I definitely encourage you to read other books for further information about that。I appreciate how the author broke down the chapters which allowed it to be a very concise and easy read。 I just wish the investigative team didn't dispel some things so quickly （though they may be accurate） and didn't use a definitive statement in who they're reporting the betrayer to be。 。。。more
Christine
，