Anne Frank Remembered Page #11

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Tens of thousands perished|"somewhere in Europe" of hunger...

...thirst or exhaustion,|or from an SS bullet.

Fritz Pfeffer had been amongst those|taken away before the Russians came...

...to die on December 20, 1944...

...in Neuengamme|concentration camp in Germany.

Anne's boyfriend from the days|in the annex, Peter van Pels...

...was marched out of Auschwitz|by the Germans on January 16...

...and taken to Mauthausen|death camp in Austria...

...where he died on May 5, 1945...

...just three days before|the Americans liberated that camp.

His mother, Auguste van Pels,|was sent on a crazy journey...

...across Germany and Czechoslovakia.

First to Bergen-Belsen,|then to Theresienstadt.

And in the last days of the Reich...

...to an unknown camp,|where she too died.

One of the millions of|anonymous bodies left...

...by Hitler's failed vision|of a thousand-year empire.

Otto Frank, weighing less|than 1 15 pounds...

...was amongst the lucky few that|the Russians found alive in Auschwitz.

When he was recovered, Otto wrote|to his mother in Switzerland...

...where she had lived|since before the war.

His letters then remained forgotten...

...in the attic of her home|in Basle for nearly 50 years...

...until they were discovered|by his nephew in May 1994.

"Auschwitz, 23 February 1 945.

Dearest Mother:
Hopefully these|lines will reach you...

...bringing you and all|my loved ones the news...

...that I have been liberated|by the Russians...

...that I am healthy|and in good spirits...

...and that I am being|well taken care of.

I do not know where Edith|and the children are.

We have been separated|since September 5, 1944.

I just hope to see them|back in good health.

I'm longing to see you all again and|hope that this will be possible soon.

All my love, greetings and kisses.

Your son, Otto."

So it was that Otto Frank,|the only survivor...

...of the eight who had been|in hiding in Amsterdam...

...took the long journey back|to his Dutch adopted homeland.

By May, with the war|in Europe ended...

...his Russian liberators|had sent him...

...to the Black Sea port of Odessa.

There, he was placed on|a New Zealand merchant ship...

...bound for France.

"May 26, 1 945.

The steamer Monowai.

Dearest Mother and all you loved ones:

Tomorrow we arrive in Marseilles,|and this letter can hopefully be mailed.

I imagine I will be able|to telegraph you...

...so that you will get the news|of my return in good health.

All my hope is the children.

I cling to the conviction|that they are alive...

...and that we will be together again.

Unfortunately, Edith did not survive.

She died on January 6, 1945...

...in the hospital, of starvation.

Her body could not withstand|attack of influenza.

The closer we get to home,|the more impatient we get...

...to hear news of our loved ones.

What happened in all these years!

We own nothing anymore.|We won't find a pin when we get back.

Bernd Elias|Otto Frank's nephew

The Germans stole everything.

No photograph, letter|or document will remain there.

Financially, we had no worries|during the last years.

I earned good money and saved.

Now all is gone.

But I don't worry about this.

We have gone through too much|to worry about things like that.

Only the children.|The children are what count.

I hope to get news from you|straightaway.

Maybe you already have news|of the girls.

I cannot write about everything|that I am thinking of.

I have to stay in Holland as...

...with the exception of a tattooed|number on my arm...

...I have no papers and therefore|must think of seeing you later.

The main thing is|that we have contact.

We hope to see each other soon.

With innermost greetings|and kisses and love, your Otto."

My husband worked on the station...

Miep Gies

...registering all the people|who are coming down from...

...the concentration camps.

And he ask everyone:

"Have you seen Mr. Frank?|Have you heard about Mr. Frank?"

And one day, one evening,|he came home and he said:

"l have good news for you.|Otto Frank is coming home."

And when he said this,|we lived downstairs.

Mr. Frank came...

...along the window.

I ran to the door.

At first what I ask was:

"Where's Edith?"

Otto Frank said to me,|"Edith never come...

...but I have hope for the children."

And he came to us.

Because he had no house, no nothing...

...he lived seven years|in our house.

But the life go on.|We go every day...

...to the office.

But I do not give him|the diary of Anne Frank.

You may not know this...

...but when he was on the ship...

...from Odessa to Marseilles...

...Otto wrote a letter to his mother.

In that letter he said this:

"Kugler and Kleiman,|and especially Miep...

...her husband and Bep Voskuijl|cared for us for two years...

...with everything we needed...

...in spite of the dangers...

...and unprecedented sacrifices|they made.

One cannot describe it.

I will never be able to repay|what all these people have done."

I never know about this. No.

That is the first time...

...I heard it. Thank you.

While Miep kept the diary secret from|Otto in case Anne should return...

...he was desperate to find|his daughters.

He advertised in newspapers|and visited the Dutch Red Cross...

...asking, always asking|for news of Anne and Margot.

At the end of July, he was told|that someone knew of their fate.

In August, he had|the tragic news confirmed.

He stood on the porch|and rang the bell...

...and remained standing|on the porch.

He said, "Are you Janny Brandes?"

And I said, "Yes."

"Can I come in?"

Because he was|a very polite gentleman.

He came into the hallway...

...and remained standing there|and said:

"What happened to my daughters?

I am Otto."

I could hardly speak...

...because it was very difficult...

...to tell someone...

...that his children were|not alive anymore.

I said, "They are no more."

He turned deathly pale...

...and slumped down into a chair.

I just put my arm around him.

When the girls' death|had been confirmed...

...Miep gave up the secret|she kept hidden from Otto...

...since the day of the family's|capture more than a year before.

From her top drawer, she handed him...

...three books|and a sheaf of loose papers:

Anne's diary, which she herself|had never read.

I took the diary...

...out of my desk...

...and gave him it with the words:

"That is a testament for|your daughter Anne."

Can you look?

Can you see how this man|looked at me?

Lost his wife.|Lost his two children.

He had the diary.

Otto transcribed sections of the diary|for his mother in Switzerland.

He also started|showing it to friends...

...seeking their views on what to do|with his daughter's unique legacy.

They all advised him|to have it published...

...but his efforts met with no success.

Then this article, written|by a friend of a friend...

...appeared in an Amsterdam|paper in April 1946...

...and finally, a publisher|stepped forward.

Het Achterhuis, "The Back House, "|appeared in June 1947.

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