In September 2008 the IISH was happy to receive an important addition to its rich archive on the anarchist, Anton Constandse. Constandse's grandson, Paul van der Gaag, donated hundreds of his letters, postcards, and manuscripts from the 1930s and 1940s. A major portion consists of correspondence between Anton and his (second) wife Gerda, from October 7, 1940 to September 17, 1944. During these years Constandse was imprisoned as a hostage by the Nazis, first in Buchenwald, and then Haaren, two detention centers in St Michielsgestel, and finally in Vught. On February 8 and 14, 1942, Anton Constandse stated that he renounced anarchism; he also wrote about how other political prisoners influenced his thought and perceptions. It will take some time before this vast addition to the archive has been completely incorporated. Archival description
Photo: part of the correspondence of Anton Constandse
Anton Constandse papers