A FORTY-YEAR-OLD CAMPAIGN: ANNE FRANK’S DIARY AND THE HOLOCAUST DENIERS, 1958–1998

Abstract On December 9, 1998, the Dutch court in Amsterdam ruled Anne Frank’s diary to be authentic, and that anyone who cast doubt on its authenticity was breaking the law and would be fined. This article examines the ongoing battle between those who view themselves as charged with the legacy of the diary and the Holocaust deniers; it also examines the methods used by the latter and their possible influence on society. The first half deals with the events leading to the writing of the diary, its publication, theatrical and cinematic adaptations, and examines how the Holocaust deniers came to use those events in their claims. The second half deals with the claims themselves and their development over the years, and the deniers’ attempts to reach the widest possible audience in an attempt to sully the image of one of the central symbols of the Holocaust period, Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl.