SATURDAY, MAY 1, 1943Dearest Kitty,Yesterday was Dussels birthday. At first he acted as if he didnt want to celebrate it, but when Miep arrived with a rge shopping bag overflowing with gifts, he was as excited as a little kid. His darling Lotje" has sent him eggs, butter, cookies, lemonade, bread, ac, spice cake, flowers, es, chocote, books and writing paper. He piled his presents on a table and dispyed them for no fewer than three days, the silly old goat!You musthe idea that hes starving. We found bread, cheese, jam and eggs in his cupboard. Its absolutely disgraceful that Dussel, whom weve treated with such kindness and whom we took in to save from destru, should stuff himself behind our backs and not give us anything. After all, weve shared all we had with him! But whats worse, in our opinion, is that hes so stingy with resper. Kleiman, Mr.Voskuijl and Bep. He doesnt give them a thing. In Dussels view the es that Kleiman so badly needs for his sick stomach will be his own stomach even more.Tonight the guns have been banging away so much that Ive already had to gather up my belongings four times. Today I packed a suitcase Wl f;the stuff Id need in case we had to flee, but as M ther correctly noted, "Where would you go?”All of Holnd is being punishe or the workers strikes. Martial w has been decred, and everyone is going to get one less butter coupon. What naughty children.I washed Mothers hair this evening, which is no easy task these days. We have to use a very sticky liquid ser because theres no more shampoo. Besides that, Moms had a hard time bing her hair because the family b has only teh left.Yours, AnneSUNDAY, MAY 2, 1943When I think about our lives here, I usually e to the clusion that we live in a paradise pared to the Jews who arent in hiding. All the same, ter on, whehing has returo normal, Ill probably wonder hoho always lived in sufortable circumstances, could have "sunk" so low. With respeanners, I mean. For example, the same oilcloth has covered the dining table ever since weve been here. After so much use, its hardly what youd call spotless. I do my best to it, but sihe dishcloth was also purchased before we went into hiding and sists of more holes than cloth, its a thaask. The van Daans have been sleeping all winter long on the same fnnel sheet, which t be washed because detergent is rationed and in short supply. Besides, its of such poor quality that its practically useless. Father is walking around in frayed trousers, and his tie is also showing signs of wear and tear. Mamas corset soday and is beyond repair, while Margot is wearing a bra thats two sizes too small, Mother and Margot have shared the same three undershorts the entire winter, and mine are so small they dont even cover my stomach. These are all things that be overe, but I sometimes wonder: how we, whose every possession, from my underpants to Fathers shaving brush, is so old and worn, ever hope tain the position we had before the war?SUNDAY, MAY 2, 1943The Attitude of the Annex Residents Toward the War Mr. van Daan. In the opinion of us all, this revered gentleman has great insight into politievertheless, he predicts well have to stay here until the end of 43. Thats a very long time, as possible to hold out until then. But who assure us that this war, which has caused nothing but pain and sorrow, will then be over? And that nothing will have happeo us and our helpers long before that time? No ohats why ead every day is filled with tension. Expectation and hope gee tension, as does fear -- for example, when we hear a noise inside or outside the house, when the guns go off or when we read new "procmations" in the paper, since were afraid our helpers might be forced to go into hiding themselves sometime. These days everyone is talking about having to hide. We dont know hoeople are actually in hiding; of course, the number is retively small pared to the general popution, but ter on well no doubt be asto how many good people in Holnd were willing to take Jews and Christians, with or without money, into their homes. Therere also an unbelievable number of people with false identity papers.Mrs. van Daan. When this beautiful damsel (by her own at) heard that it was getting easier these days to obtain false IDs, she immediately proposed that we each have one made. As if there were nothing to it, as if Father and Mr. van Daan were made of money.Mrs. van Daan is always sating the most ridiculous things, and her Putti is oftenexasperated. But thats not surprising, because one day Kerli announces, "When this is allover, Im going to have myself baptized"; and the , "As long as I remember, Ive wao go to Jerusalem. I only feel at home with other jews!”Pim is a big optimist, but he always has his reasons.Mr. Dussel makes up everything as he goes along, and anyone wishing to tradict His Majesty had better think twice. In Alfred Dussels home his word is w, but that doesnt suit Anne Frank in the least.What the other members of the Annex family think about the war doesnt matter.When it es to politics, these four are the only ones who t. Actually, only two of them do, but Madame van Daan and Dussel include themselves as well.TUESDAY, MAY 18, 1943Dearest Kit, I retly witnessed a fierce dogfight between German and English pilots.Unfortunately, a couple of Allied airmen had to jump out of their burning pne. Our milkman, who lives in Halfweg, saw four adians sitting along the side of the road, and one of them spoke fluent Dutch. He asked the milkman if he had a light for his cigarette, and then told him the crew had sisted of six men. The pilot had been buro death, and the fifth crew member had hidden himself somewhere. The German Security Police came to pick up the four remaining men, none of whom were injured. After parachuting out of a fming pne, how anyone have such presenind?Although its undeniably hot, we have to light a fire every other day to burn etable peelings and garbage. We t throw anything into trash s, because the warehouse employees might see it. One small act of carelessness and were done for!All college students are being asked to sign an official statement to the effect that they "sympathize with the Germans and approve of the New Order." Eighty pert have decided to obey the dictates of their sce, but the penalty will be severe.Any student refusing to sign will be sent to a German bor camp. Whats to bee of the youth of our try if theyve all got to do hard bor in Germany?Last night the guns were making so muoise that Mother shut the window; I was in Pims bed. Suddenly, right above our heads, we heard Mrs. van D. leap up, as if shed been bitten by Mouschi. This was followed by a loud boom, which sounded as ifa firebomb had nded beside my bed. "Lights! Lights!" I screamed.Pim switched on the mp. I expected the room to burst into fmes any mihing happened. We all rushed upstairs to see what was going on. Mr. and Mrs. van D. had seen a red glow through the open window, ahought there was a fire nearby, while she was certain our house was abze. Mrs. van D. was already standing beside her bed with her knees knog when the boom came. Dussel stayed upstairs to smoke a cigarette, and we crawled bato bed. Less than fifteen mier the shooting started again. Mrs. van D. sprang out of bed a downstairs to Dussel s room to seek the fort she was uo find with her spouse. Dussel weled her with the words "e into my bed, my child!”We burst into peals of ughter, and the roar of the guns bothered us no more; our fears had all bee away.Yours, Anne