‘Once, I spent the night in the secret annexe. To tell the truth, I was terribly scared. When I heard a branch creaking or an automobile riding along the canal I became frightened. I was grateful when the morning arrived and I could return to working. It’s only now that I understand what the Frank family went through, and they tension they must have had to live under.’

Bep Voskuijl

Even though Anne was almost ten years younger than I was, at times I almost had the inclination to tell her things that were very private. I know that she valued hearing about such intimacies. She asked me very personal questions on a number of occasions. I resisted telling her everything because I knew she was keeping a diary and I didn’t want her to write about personal matters, which I might have revealed.