Ration stamp suppliers in Zwolle released

A difficult problem for people in hiding was food supply. War conditions led to shortages and the government therefore established a distribution system with ration cards and stamp. Those who went into hiding almost always lost immediate access to those means and had to obtain them in a clandestine, and therefore risky, manner. The Secret Annex obtained receipts from two representatives.

Anne Frank noted the arrests of Martin Brouwer and Pieter Daatzelaar, a few days apart, in her diary. She was afraid that shortages would now arise, and she worried about the two.^[1] Both men were representatives of the Gies & Co. firm and, although they were not aware of the hiding, they were well acquainted with both Frank and Van Pels. After about two weeks, during which Anne wrote about to the case several times, they were released at four o'clock in the afternoon on 22 March 1944, two weeks after theu had been arrested.^[2] The next day Anne also wrote that down in her diary. So she followed the case closely and the good news quickly reached the Secret Annex.