Thursday, December 3, 2009

Who is stealing from the office and blaming it on Bep?

The answer to this question can be found in Anne's diary entry on Friday, April 21, 1944. The Franks and van Daans suspect that Mr. Willem van Maaren is stealing potato flour from the warehouse and blaming it on Bep.


Mr. van Maaren is the manager of the warehouse of Opekta and Gies & Co. that contains the secret annex hiding these families. No one seems to particularly like him due to his suspicious nature. Anne states in a diary entry on Thursday, September 16, 1943 that Mr. van Maaren is "known to be unreliable and to possess a high degree of curiosity. He's not one who can be put off with a flimsy excuse." Mr. van Maaren is suspected of betraying the Franks and van Daans (which led to their capture and forced detainment in concentration camps), though this claim has never been substantiated.


In her diary entry on this matter, Anne comments on the impact of Mr. van Maaren's actions and the "uproar" that they have created in the annex. She states that Bep, in particular, is "beside herself with rage" and wonders if "Mr. Kugler will finally have this shady character [van Maaren] tailed."

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