Anne Frank: The Missing Chapter

For those who thought the Anne Frank story was a done deal, this program offers an update on the five pages of her diary that were recently brought to light in a 1998 biography by Melissa Müller. Anne's father, Otto, removed the pages, which concerns Anne's observations regarding the state of her parents' marriage, from her diary and gave them to a friend named Cor Suijk for safe keeping. Anne's comments are, needless to say, not flattering, and were evidently a little too insightful for her father's comfort. (No doubt the critical edition of Anne Frank's diary, published in 1986, will have to be revised in light of this surprise.) The remainder of this program rehashes the Frank family's life in Amsterdam, their attempt to evade capture and deportation during the Nazi occupation, and their ultimate fate, with fresh speculation regarding the identity of the person who betrayed them to the Gestapo. Commentary is provided by several people who knew Anne, including her first boyfriend, Ed Silbergerg, and Miep Gies, the woman who aided the Frank family while they were in hiding. Recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (P. Van Vleck)