After the attacks on its credibility regarding ball point pen, after a period of several years, an expanded version, ie a so-called original version was given to the Netherlands State Institute for War Documentation, which duly verified it.
This expanded version has been published in the Critical [sic] Edition of the Diary.
As I see it then the composition dates are 1946 for the original diary and the 1980s for the additions that make up the critical edition.
I was struck by the extent of correspondence education allegedly taking place in the Secret Annex, surely a huge risk for detection.
But there it is on page 651 of the Critical Edition, around May 18 1944
What the "Secret Annexe" family is interested in.
(Systematic survey of subjects being learned and reading matter).....
Mrs v.P.: learns English by correspondence, likes to read fictional biography and some novels.
....
Mrs Fr.: learns English by correspondence, reads everything except detective sotires.
....
Margot Fr.: Learns English French, Latin by correspondence, english shorthand, German shorthand, Dutch shorthand, Mechanics, Trignometry, Solid Geometry, Physics, Chemistry, Algebra, Geometry, English literature, French literature, German literature, Dutch literature, Bookkeeping, Geography, Modern History, Biology, Economics, reads everything, preferably on religion and medicine.
Very impressive, I wonder what the correspondence schools that were operating at such time.
Clearly the Germans didn't keep tabs on the post office.



