Independent: After 72 years, historians have a new theory about Anne Frank

For decades, Anne's father, Otto, tried to figure out who tipped off the Nazis — a question historians have debated for 72 years.

Now, the Anne Frank House museum in Amsterdam has put forth a new theory: It was a coincidence.

For decades, the common theory has been that Anne Frank's family was betrayed, possibly by a new employee at her father's business or a conspirator's wife, unsympathetic to the plight of the eight Jews.

But according to a research paper published this month by the Anne Frank House, “this explicit focus on betrayal, however, limits the perspective of the arrest. … [O]ther scenarios tend to be overshadowed.”

Previous theories were based on Otto Frank's suspicions, which centered on Willem van Maaren, a new employee who hadn't been let in on the secret about the hiding place.

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