Anne Frank and her family – led by father Otto Frank's late and futile attempts – were denied entry visas into the U.S. during World War II, The Washington Post's Elahe Izadi wrote Thursday, reminding readers of American University history professor Richard Breitman's research in 2007.
"Otto Frank's efforts to get his family to the United States ran afoul of restrictive American immigration policies designed to protect national security and guard against an influx of foreigners during time of war," Breitman wrote.
". . . Those seeking to save themselves had to search for credible American sponsors, accumulate funds for overseas travel, and convince American consuls and State Department officials that they would be a benefit, and not a burden or a threat to the country."
Anne Frank died at the age of 15 in a German concentration camp, but Breitman told NPR after writing up his research in 2007: "Anne Frank could be a 77-year-old woman living in Boston today – a writer."
The Post's Izadi wrote Otto Frank's failed attempts to obtain refugee visas to U.S. might "have been successful had he tried to leave sooner."
The story resurfaced this week amid President Donald Trump's early administrative acts to secure the U.S. border and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security halting trips by staff to interview refugees abroad, preparing for a likely shakeup of refugee policy by Trump.
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