Anne Frank: Cold case any warmer?

Anne Frank in 1940  (Public Domain)

It was Anne Frank’s natural intelligence that made her diary so compelling, yet it could be artificial intelligence that finally solves the mystery of who betrayed her.

The Washington Post reports that a former FBI agent named Vince Pankoke has taken a special interest in this cold case.  He seeks to defrost it via computer research.  Because the Nazis kept meticulous records, there is an “avalanche of information” that could provide “smoking gun” clues.

Trouble is, it would take human brains years to sift through these documents, which include “police reports, lists of Nazi spies, [and] investigative files for Frank family  sympathizers.”  Computers could detect pertinent data in a relative jiffy.

This approach seems hopeful, given that Pankoke’s team has already “figured out who betrayed at least one other family that was hiding from the Nazis.”  Pankoke himself reports:  We’ve only scratched the surface.  He seeks closure for many a victim’s family.

Resources

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/10/04/who-betrayed-anne-frank-artificial-intelligence-could-finally-solve-the-mystery/?utm_term=.f5d3f9cdf461

Copyright Octobetr 4, 2017 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved