I read somewhere once that the helpers would see the betrayer pass by everyday and they would say "There they are". It's just they decided to leave their identity unknown. It's logical that they would know though, it's a pity one of them never said. Personally I think it was that worker, van Maaren.
I never thought so once it came out that he had a son hiding at home. The last people he would have wanted to see were the Gestapo.
shareThere's now mention of another suspect. In a book that was only published last year by Bep's youngest son, they suggested that his aunt Nelly may have been the one. Nelly was a Nazi collaborator from 1942-1946 and she apparently disapproved of her family helping the Jews, one night even shouting "go to your Jews!" after an argument. The officer who took the call did say that the informant sounded like a young woman, and Nelly would have been 22. Bep kept very quiet after the war was over and never liked publicity, so it's possible she might have suspected her sister as well.
I ma not buying that because earlier research had documented discussions taken right from the actual people involved, some of whom have been dead for years. Bep and her father never told the rest of the family. And the person who wrote "The Hidden Life of Otto Frank" and decided it was known informant Tonny Ahlers, someone who had done business with Otto and had grown up in a building nearby with a similar annex went back and checked the records. Both Silberbauer, the arresting officer, and his wartime commander, Willi Lages were questioned in 1964. They both said the phone call was not anonymous, came from a known betrayer and that is was not a woman. They also said the person knew there were Jews in the building but didn't know how many. I personally think Bep's sister would have at least had an idea. The researchers presented very well documented evidence to that effect. Plus Ahlers had told family members that he was the betrayer. Why would he say it if he was not? Of all the books I've read, the one I mentioned has the best documentation.
shareEven though it's hard for me to even know who the betrayer was, I enjoy reading all of your theories about it.
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www.crochetdesigns.storenvy.com
They may not have been betrayed after all:
http://www.newser.com/story/235590/anne-frank-may-not-have-been-betrayed.html