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Willem van Maaren

Willem van Maaren was a warehouse worker for Gies & Co at Prinsengracht 263 during the period of hiding.

Person

Stadsarchief Amsterdam. Archief A.J. van Helden, SAA 31391-3
  • Wilhelm Gerardus van Maaren
  • Born on: Aug. 10, 1895
  • Born in: Amsterdam, Nederland
  • Died on: Nov. 8, 1971
  • Died in: Amsterdam, Nederland

Foto Van Maaren uit dossier van Rijksrechercheur Van Helden.

Stadsarchief Amsterdam. Archief A.J. van Helden, SAA 31391-3

Status onduidelijk.

Willem van Maaren was a warehouse worker for Gies & Co at Prinsengracht 263 during the period of hiding.

He completed his schooling and got a certificate on 22 June 1910. He then went to work for six months at the bookshop H.W. Mooij. From 1918 to 1925 he worked as a warehouse manager for Amsterdamse Coöperatieve Sigaren In- en Verkoopvereniging ACSI, after which he had his own tobacco shop until 1933. His efforts to turn this into a wholesale business between 1933 and 1939 were unsuccessful. On 11 September 1939 he was employed by the "Liefdadigheid naar Vermogen" association, where he worked until 30 May 1942.[1]

Van Maaren worked for the municipal distribution service from 1 Augustus 1942 to 1 March 1943.[2] He applied for and received a statement of good behaviour as a consequence.[3]On 5 and 6 January 1943 he had to appear in court in connection with outstanding debts.[4] These debts, which he had run up with various retailers and private individuals, totalled almost six thousand guilders. On 10 February 1943 the court in Amsterdam declared him bankrupt and appointed a receiver.[5] Van Maaren filed a petition for dimissal on 1 March 1943.[6] 

Via the labour exchange, he then worked as a warehouse worker for Gies & Co from March 1943 to June 1945.[7] He was sacked for stealing bottles of Opekta jam, salt and baking soda. During the war, he also stole cocoa fat in order to make baking soda soap for personal use.[8] During the period of hiding, Van Maaren replaced Johan Voskuijl, who could no longer work due to his illness. According to later statements made by the helpers, Van Maaren was very curious and he had noticed that something was going on in the premises. Kleiman claimed that the feeling of safety disappeared with his arrival. Kugler stated that Van Maaren had always been a ‘nosey parker’.[9] Van Maaren refuted all allegations.

There was a suspicion among the helpers that he was the one who had betrayed those hiding in the Annex, and they pursued the matter with the Political Investigation Division. However, there was no evidence against Van Maaren. The allegations were declared to have lapsed by the Amsterdam District Court on 13 August 1949.[10]

During the ‘Silberbauer affair’ in 1963, Van Maaren came back into the picture. Otto Frank told the Central Criminal Intelligence Agency that, according to him and the helpers, only Van Maaren came under suspicion. Nevertheless, the various statements made provided no facts. Only Miep Gies proclaimed that Van Maaren had - in his own words - connections in SD circles. Investigating Officer Van Helden also interviewed Silberbauer and Lages, but couldn't find any leads.[3] Anne mentioned Van Maaren a few times in her diary.[11]

Despite the lack of evidence, these accusations still cling to Van Maaren.[12]

Source personal data [13] Addresses:  Kouterstraat 9 huis, Amsterdam.[13]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Stadsarchief Amsterdam (SAA), Distributiebureau en de Distributiedienst (toegang 5257), inv. 292: Persoonskaart W.G. van Maaren in personeelsdossier.       
  2. ^ SAA, Distributiedienst, inv. nr. 617: Lloonstaat W.G. van Maaren, kalenderjaar 1943.
  3. a, b SAA, Secretarie, Algemene Zaken (toegang 5181), inv. nr. 7648: Indicateurs van de aanvragen van bewijzen van Nederlanderschap en van goed gedrag, volgnr. 9437. 
  4. ^ SAA, Distributiedienst, inv. 292: Verlofaanvraag in personeelsdossier.
  5. ^ Bericht "Voorlopig kosteloos", Nieuws van den Dag, 15 februari 1943.  
  6. ^ SAA, Distributiedienst, inv. nr. 292: Ontslagaanvraag d.d. 4 februari 1943 in personeelsdossier.   
  7. ^ Nationaal Archief (NL-HaNA), Den Haag, Centraal Archief Bijzondere Rechtspleging (CABR), inv. nr. 23892: ‘Verklaring inzake Gies & Co.’
  8. ^ NL-HaNA, CABR, inv. nr. 23892: ‘P.v.b. 86/1963 v.H.’
  9. ^ NL-HaNA, CABR, inv. nr. 23892: Proces-verbaal c/a Van Maaren, PRA-Amsterdam.
  10. ^ NL-HaNA, CABR, inv. nr. 23892: Uitspraak Kantonrechter F.C. Cremer.
  11. ^ Anne Frank, Diary Version A, 1 March 1944, 15, 18, 21 and 25 April 1944; Diary Version B, 5 August and 16 & 29 September 1943, in: The Collected Works, transl. from the Dutch by Susan Massotty, London [etc.]: Bloomsbury Continuum, 2019.
  12. ^ For futher reading, see Rosemary Sullivan, The betrayal of  Anne Frank: a cold case investigation, New York, NY: Harper, 2020, p. 164-169, 202-207.
  13. a, b SAA, Dienst Bevolkingsregister, Archiefkaarten (toegangsnummer 30238): Archiefkaart W.G. van Maaren.