Fear of discovery is a recurring theme in Anne Frank's diary entries. The eight people in the Secret Annex lived secluded from the outside world. There were 'hiding rules' to prevent unwitting staff and visitors such as customers and suppliers from noticing their presence. For example, there were strict agreements on the use of water - as noise from the pipes was audible - and flushing the toilet during the presence of outsiders. 'So we had to be as quiet as mice', Anne wrote on 30 September 1942 in response to such a situation.^[1] All good intentions notwithstanding, daily life repeatedly showed that this rule was rather hard to maintain.

The early days

The first diary, in the well-known 'red-checkered' book, describes the early period in the Secret Annex. Naturally, because everything was new and unknown in that period, Anne's anxiety was high. Both the people in hiding and the helpers had to get used to the new situation. After a few weeks, Kugler decided that access to the Secret Annex should be hidden behind a cupboard.^[2] Everyone paid close attention to the arrangements made: when Arthur Lewinsohn came to do experiments in the office kitchen with Victor Kugler, the days when the maid, the plumber or representatives Hendrik Daatzelaar and Johan Broks visited, everyone was quiet and cautious.^[3] According to Anne, they then took large jars and chamber pots to the loft because of not being able to use the toilet.^[4] Consequently, the unexpected presence of a carpenter once led to consternation behind the bookcase.^[5]

Dependency

The people in hiding were completely dependent on the helpers for their care. Anne therefore worried about their welfare. She feared that the helpers were at risk of having to go into hiding themselves.^[6] In March '44, difficulties piled up. Bep, Miep and Kleiman were all suffering from illness, and compulsory work was imminent for Kugler. To limit the risks, the warehouse remained closed the next day. Only Bep would be in the office if her condition allowed.^[7] In the end, things didn't turn out so bad; Bep's cold did not persist and Kugler managed to get a certificate that saved him from compulsory work.^[8] It shows how far dependency went, and how precarious the situation became if something did indeed happen to the helpers.

The warehousemen

For the first eight to nine months of hiding, there was no major threat from the warehouse. Bep's father Johan Voskuijl was the manager there, and he was fully aware of the situation. When a serious illness forced him to leave his job, the outsider Willem van Maaren was sent by the Labour Exchange around March '43.^[9] As a result, the people in the Secret Annex could no longer dispose of their waste through the warehouse, and had to burn it in the stoves.^[10] This in turn led to fears that local residents would see the chimney smoking at odd hours.^[11] The people in hiding and the helpers were not happy with the new situation.^[12] For Anne and the others, Van Maaren became a persistent source of worry. They flushed the toilet sparingly during office hours to avoid him noticing anything.^[13] When Anne suspected him of involvement in thefts in the premises, she refers to him as having "a shady past".^[14] Van Maaren had several employees in the warehouse over time. Almost none of their names were known, and Anne referred to them as the 'warehousemen'. Only J.J. De Kok was named by her,^[15] although her father later said he never knew his name.^[16]

Through the eye of the needle

The period in the Secret Annex was unusual in that the eight people in hiding were - and remained - in one place. Many others moved from address to address, not infrequently also provided with pseudonyms and accompanying identity cards.^[17] Such mobility obviously entailed additional risks. However, staying at one address in the middle of a busy city did too. Business premises in Amsterdam's city centre exerted a strong attraction on criminals. Break-ins and thefts were also commonplace during the occupation. The Opekta premises were no exception. On one such occasion, Hermann van Pels almost stumbled into a burglar.^[18] In another instance, 'the gentlemen' chased away a pair of burglars who tried to enter through a kicked-in panel on the street door.^[19] Night watchman Martinus Slegers discovered the hole and alerted a policeman, who then inspected the premises.^[20] Although this situation worked out alright in the end, it was very frightening for the people in hiding. What was also worrying was that those intruders would naturally have noticed that people were hiding in the premises. But then again, occupation of such premises was not so unusual at this time that they would immediately have drawn the conclusion that these were people in hiding.

Not so quiet

Despite the principle that caution and safety were paramount, things still went wrong from time to time. Already in the first weeks of hiding, Anne writes about an argument between the Van Pels couple during which "'Mr v.P. yelled so much that they must surely have been able to hear him houses away".^[21] And during a meal in March '44, there was a knock on the wall in a neighbouring building. This unexpected proximity of a stranger naturally caused nervousness and fear.^[22] The people in the Secret Annex also used knock signals among themselves. Hermann van Pels used this to signal in the morning that Anne's porridge was ready at the top of the stairs,^[23] while three knocks in the evening was also the signal for 'dinner time'.^[24]

The people in the Secret Annex went downstairs after office hours.^[24] They did laundry in the office kitchen at that time.^[25] Pfeffer sometimes sat at Kugler's desk,^[26] as did Anne.^[6] Anne also sometimes went with Margot to the front office.^[27] In the private office, they all listened to the radio - until it had to be handed in^[28] . One of the consequences of this use of the offices was that, as shown above, burglars or other intruders could have noticed the presence of people in the building. A tightening of procedures followed after 9 April 1944, therefore, with the result that life again became lived much more behind the bookcase. However, when Broks brought in a large batch of strawberries in the summer, the cleaning and racking of these was accompanied by such excitement and noise that Anne wondered, 'Yes but are we really in hiding?' Later that day, when the accountant was in the building, no-one was allowed to run any water.^[29] In the spring of 1944, Peter chopped wood in the loft during lunch breaks.^[30] By then the warehouse staff had left the building, but the possible presence of the neighbours was apparently no reason not to proceed.

Ultimately, it is still unknown how the fatal information about the people in hiding in the Secret Annex got to the Sicherheitsdienst. It is therefore impossible to say how effective the precautions were, and whether indiscretions may have influenced the outcome.