EN

Johannes Kleiman managing director of Opekta

Johannes Kleiman took over the management of Opekta when Otto Frank was forced to step down.

Event

Dec. 12, 1941

52.36649 N 4.88606 E

Keizersgracht 441

Amsterdam

​On 12 December 1941, Otto Frank stepped down as managing director at Opekta's shareholders' meeting, which was called to aryanise the company pro forma. Johannes Kleiman immediately accepted the appointment as managing director. The meeting was held at the offices of A.R.W.M. Dunselman, the company's legal advisor.[1]

  • On 18 December 1941, the changed was registered with the Chamber of Commerce.[2]
  • On 30 June 1942, Kleiman signed the attendance list of the shareholders' meeting at Dunselman's office.[3]
  • On 25 June 1945, he did so again.[4]

According to Otto Frank, Kleiman intended after the war: 'Once again to resign from the business, since he is interested in other matters and took up this position at the time only to help me.'[5]

  • On 10 April 1947, Kleiman's salary was set at 4,800 guilders a year. It was the same as Otto Frank's salary, who was reinstalled as a director in this meeting.[6]
  • On 9 October 1947, Kleiman, as the director, filed amended articles of association with the civil-law notary, in accordance with the decisions of the shareholders' meeting of 14 August 1947.[7]
  • From 10 March 1953, he once more served as the director. This was shortly after Otto Frank left for Basel.
  • From late 1956, the company conducted difficult negotiations with Opekta-Köln and Robert Feix about the acquisition of the Dutch Opekta shares.[8]

Kleiman owned one-fifth of the shares, Otto Frank owned the rest. In 1957, the total value was fl. 25,000.[9]

IIn 1958, Kleiman was experimenting with bigarreaux as a pastry filling. On 14 August 1958, he wrote to Otto Frank that he was hopeful about the prospects. This strengthened their negotiating position, since Dr Magin from Opekta-Köln was making overtures again. Kleiman wanted to wait and see what would happen.[8]

Kleiman's last letter to Otto Frank was dated 27 December 1958. The next letter, dated 20 April 1959, came from his widow, Johanna Kleiman-Reuman.[10] Opekta-Köln took over the Amsterdam firm in the spring of 1959 when they acquired the shares of Otto Frank and Johannes Kleiman.[11]

Footnotes

  1. ^ NIOD Instituut voor Oorlogs-, Holocaust- en Genocidestudies, Amsterdam, Archief van de N.V. Nederlandsche Opekta Maatschappij, inv. no.19: Notulen 12 december 1941.
  2. ^ Anne Frank Stichting (AFS), Anne Frank Collectie (AFC), reg. code A_Opekta_I_051: Uittreksel Handelsregister, 11 oktober 1945.
  3. ^ NIOD, Archief Opekta, inv. no. 19: Notulen 30 juni 1942.
  4. ^ NIOD, Archief Opekta, inv. no. 19: Notulen 25 juni 1945.
  5. ^ Nationaal Archief, Den Haag, Nederlands Beheersinstituut: Beheersdossiers, nummer toegang 2.09.16, inv. nr. 134994: Otto Frank aan Beheerinstituut, 31 januari 1946.
  6. ^ NIOD, Opekta, losse map: Notitie over directie en commissarissen van Opecta en Pectacon. Op dezelfde datum treedt Otto Frank weer aan als directeur, enkele weken na zijn verklaring tot 'non-enemy'.
  7. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code A_Opekta_I_018, Bijvoegsel Staatscourant van 14 november 1947.
  8. a, b AFS, AFC, Otto Frank Archief (OFA), reg. code OFA_079: Correspondentie tussen Otto Frank en Johannes Kleiman, 1956-1959.
  9. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_079: Johannes Kleiman aan Otto Frank, 21 september 1957.
  10. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_079: Johannes Kleiman aan Otto Frank, 27 december 1958 en J. Kleiman-Reuman aan Otto Frank, 20 april 1959.
  11. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_075: Afschrift brief Magin en Fackeldey, 4 juni 1959.