Publisher pauses printing of Anne Frank book after allegations of “shoddy” research

Enlarge / Otto Frank's copy of an anonymous note he received, allegedly identifying the person who betrayed the Frank family. The note is offered as evidence that a Jewish leader named Arnold van den Bergh was the most likely culprit in The Betrayal of Anne Frank by Rosemary Sullivan. (credit: YouTube/60 Minutes/CBS)

Last month, we reported on a new hypothesis about who might have betrayed the hiding place of Anne Frank and her family to the Nazis in 1944, which ultimately led to the death of Anne and most of her family. The new suspect: a local Jewish leader named Arnold van den Bergh, who may have handed over lists of addresses where fellow Jews were hiding in order to protect his own family. The theory was featured in a segment on 60 Minutes and is described in detail in a new book by Rosemary Sullivan: The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation.

The news caused a stir, given that the named suspect was also Jewish. It also raised the hackles of historians who expressed skepticism about the hypothesis. Now, Reuters is reporting that the book's Dutch publisher, Ambo Anthos, has suspended printing for a second run of the book after questions were raised about the shoddiness of the research, per an internal email that the news service acquired.

Anne Frank in 1940. (credit: Public domain)

The email was addressed to all of Ambo Anthos' authors. The publisher wrote it should have taken a more "critical stance" on the new book. "We await the answers from the researchers to the questions that have emerged and are delaying the decision to print another run," the email read. "We offer our sincere apologies to anyone who might feel offended by the book."

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