Anne Frank Remembered Page #3

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In the early days, he had|four key colleagues, all non-Jews.

One of those employees was|an Austrian who'd grown up in Holland.

Miep Gies.

It was a very fine place to work...

...because we understand|all the people in the office.

We were very close,|was friendly together.

He was always our boss...

...but also our father.

We can go to Mr. Frank with|all our troubles and sorrow.

The office boy and general helper|from 1933 until 1939...

...was Henk van Beersekamp.

Mrs. Frank was different|from Otto Frank.

Otto Frank was a familiar,|friendly man...

...who treated me as an equal...

...and with kindness.

Mrs. Frank was a bit...

...well, maybe|she had been accustomed...

...to better things|in life in Germany.

I don't know.

Margot was a bit subdued...

...but Anne was a dear.

I had lots of fun with her...

...because we would make|funny faces...

...which she found amusing.

I remember one time I did this:

And she always split|her sides with laughter.

And when I did that, her tongue...

...would move to and fro.

But it was fun.|She was a great girl.

Dutch Nazis putting on a show|in Amsterdam in 1938.

Though Hitler had infiltrated|the police, the civil service...

...even the prime minister...

...in the years|before the war, Holland...

...was generally good to|its Jewish refugees from Germany.

Despite these scenes|of Fascist collaborators...

...the Dutch and German Jews believed|that they would be safe in Holland...

...far from the Fhrer|in their former homeland.

Few, very few,|tried to leave for safer shores.

And Otto and his family|were not amongst them.

Sometimes I said to Mr. Frank:

"You must go out of the Netherlands.|It will be danger for you."

Miep Gies

"No," said he.

"ln the first World War, the German|came not here in the Netherlands.

So they come the second time,|also not."

And I said to him,|"You must go to America."

"No, I stay here|because I love the Netherlands."

The faith of Otto Frank|and thousands like him...

...was catastrophically misplaced.

By May 1940, Hitler had conquered|almost all of Europe.

Austria, Poland, Norway, Denmark...

... Yugoslavia, Greece,|Romania, Bulgaria...

...and most of France had fallen to|Germany's air force and storm troops.

Europe's low countries|remained as a tantalizing morsel...

...to be swallowed whole.

Then by the 14th of May, 1940,|it was all over.

Five days after the Germans|had finally...

...smashed through Holland's borders,|the Dutch capitulated.

In Amsterdam, Hitler's victory|was greeted with black humor.

My father made himself|look like Hitler.

It was wonderful how he did it.

Here was the hair|and the black mustache.

The Franks lived next door, and he|would ring at the door and come in.

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