--- title: Anne Frank Was Possibly Not Betrayed At All, New Study Finds description: Anne Frank and her family were found by chance, a new study says—disputing the theory that she and her family were betrayed. canonical: https://time.com/4606399/study-anne-frank-betrayal/ author: Madeline Farber article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-12-19T17:38:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T14:23:33.000Z article:section: History og:title: Who Betrayed Anne Frank? A New Study Suggests Nobody Did og:description: They were possibly found by chance og:url: https://time.com/4606399/study-anne-frank-betrayal/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt32f6e87ee2a8d86f/6988afadab6d778d5f6ac11c/gettyimages-541037509.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4980 og:image:height: 2801 og:image:alt: Anne Frank, German Jew who emigrated with her family to the Netherlands during the Nazi era. Separated from the rest of her family, she and her sister died of typhoid fever in the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen - As a 12-year old doing her homewo og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Who Betrayed Anne Frank? A New Study Suggests Nobody Did twitter:description: They were possibly found by chance twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt32f6e87ee2a8d86f/6988afadab6d778d5f6ac11c/gettyimages-541037509.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Who Betrayed Anne Frank? A New Study Suggests Nobody Did > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. A TIME subscription provides full access to that journalism in print and digital, from $20 a year, and can be cancelled at any time. 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Its journalism is reported and edited by a professional newsroom led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with named correspondents on politics, climate, health, technology and culture. It reaches 1 million US print subscribers and 1.15 million globally, plus more than 1.1 million newsletter readers. #### How do I subscribe to TIME magazine? Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. Choose digital only at $20 a year, or print and digital from $29 a year or $49 for two years. TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at time.com/newsletters, which do not require a subscription. #### Can I cancel a TIME subscription? Yes. TIME states that subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. #### Does TIME have free newsletters? Yes. TIME publishes seven free email newsletters reaching more than 1.1 million readers, covering daily news, Washington politics, health, AI, climate and energy, culture, and the newsroom itself. They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: The Last Nazi Trials [Watch (HLS stream): The Last Nazi Trials](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/iBig1Tcg.m3u8) (7:02)  _Published 2016-05-03. The trial of a former Nazi guard brings forth questions about justice and forgiveness for Holocaust survivors and German citizens._ by [Madeline Farber](https://time.com/author/madeline-farber/) ## Madeline Farber Updated: Dec 13, 2023 2:23 PM UTCPublished: Dec 19, 2016 5:38 PM UTC  Anne Frank. Anne Frank.Bildarchiv Ullstein Bild — Getty Images by [Madeline Farber](https://time.com/author/madeline-farber/) ## Madeline Farber Updated: Dec 13, 2023 2:23 PM UTCPublished: Dec 19, 2016 5:38 PM UTC For decades, historians have debated who betrayed Anne Frank and her family. After spending two years eluding Nazi capture while in hiding in Amsterdam, the Frank family was [discovered](http://www.annefrank.org/en/Anne-Frank/Discovery-and-arrest/The-day-of-the-arrest/) on Aug. 4, 1944, and promptly deported from the Netherlands to concentration camps. Years later, after Anne Frank became famous for her diary, readers wondered what had gone wrong. A long-held [theory](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/who-betrayed-anne-frank/) proposed that a new employee at her father’s business, Willem van Maaren, tipped off the Nazis. But despite suspicions, there was no conclusive evidence van Maaren betrayed the family. Now, about 72 years later, the world may have an answer to the mystery: Maybe nobody betrayed them at all. Last week, the [Anne Frank House museum](http://www.annefrank.org/en/News/News/2016/December/New-Perspective-on-Anne-Franks-Arrest/) in Amsterdam released a study that suggests that Anne Frank and the seven others hiding with her were discovered by chance. According to the researchers, the German “Sicherheitsdienst” police who discovered the family usually investigated cases involving cash and securities, not[ Jews in hiding](http://time.com/4563651/czech-republic-schindler-factory-holocaust-museum/). On Aug. 4, 1944, they went to investigate 263 Prinsengracht—the same building where [Anne](http://time.com/22052/anne-frank-and-her-friends-photos-by-paul-schutzer/) and her family were hiding—after receiving tips of fraudulent food-ration cards and illegal employment happening there. When they came to raid the building, they unexpectedly discovered Anne and the others. The research is based on [Frank’s](http://time.com/4581891/anne-frank-holocaust-netherlands-poem/) [diary](http://time.com/4113855/anne-frank-diary-co-author/) entries from March 1944—entries that researchers say have not been used as a source until now. Her writing created a trail to judicial documents from other parts of the Netherlands, resulting in the latest theory. [_Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter_](http://time.com/newsletter) “Despite decades of research, betrayal as a point of departure has delivered nothing conclusive,” Ronald Leopold, Executive Director of the Anne Frank House museum, said in statement. “The new investigation does not refute the possibility that the people in hiding were betrayed, but illustrates that other scenarios should also be considered.” Anne, who is famous for documenting her time in the “Secret Annex” in her renowned diary, died of typhus in the spring of 1945 at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. She was 15 at the time of her death. 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