Saplings from the chestnut tree that stood as a symbol of hope for Anne Frank as she hid from the Nazis for two years in Amsterdam are being distributed to 11 locations in the US as part of a project that aims to preserve her legacy and promote tolerance.

MIEP GIES, the woman who hid the Dutch youngster Anne Frank’s diary from the Nazis to become one of the world’s most-read books, has died after a brief illness at the age of 100.

Anne Frank’s cousin gave up custody today of thousands of letters, photographs and documents that archivists say will reveal details about the background of the teenage diarist who became a symbol of the Holocaust.

Dutch government historians are reopening the case file on Anne Frank to determine who betrayed her hiding place to the Nazis.