Ludwig E. Frank papers, 1912-2003

Collection context

Summary

Creators:
Frank, Ludwig E., 1917-
Abstract:
Writings, interview transcript, correspondence, reports, identification documents, printed matter, photographs, and videocassette relating to the persecution of Jews in Japan during World War II. Includes papers of other Frank family members.
Extent:
6 manuscript boxes, 3 oversize boxes (4.6 Linear Feet)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Ludwig E. Frank papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The Ludwig E. Frank papers consist of writings, an interview transcript, correspondence, reports, identification documents, printed matter, photographs, and a VHS videocassette relating to the persecution of Jews in Japan during World War II. The Frank family lived in Japan from 1913 to approximately 1947. In early 1944, Hugo C. Frank, eldest son of Dr. Louis Hugo Frank and brother of Ludwig (Lou) E. Frank, was accused of being an Allied spy and imprisoned. Hugo C. Frank died in prison in Yokohama in 1945. Much of the collection chronicles an investigation of and subsequent report on Hugo's death by either an acquaintance or investigator hired by Ludwig Frank named Makoto Honobe. A general history of the Frank family in Japan, followed by their move to the United States in the post-World War II period is also included.

Biographical / historical:

German resident of Japan during World War II.

Ludwig (Lou) E. Frank was a German resident of Japan during World War II. The Frank family moved to Japan when Frank's father Louis Hugo Frank, born in Leipzig, Germany in 1886 received a teaching position in Japan. The Franks lived comfortably in Japan with their two sons, Hugo C. Frank and Ludwig (Lou) E. Frank until the early 1940s, when racial and ethnic persecution from Nazi Germany made its way into Japan. In April, 1943, after 17 years of teaching, Dr. Frank was discharged from his teaching position at Yamanashi Technical College on the grounds of being a German Jew. In May, 1944, Hugo C. Frank, Hugo's wife, and their daughter were interned in Gora, Hakone, while the rest of the Frank family was interned in Karuizawa. Despite the eventual release of his family, Hugo was arrested by the Yakohama Military Police on charges of espionage in July, 1944. On June 30, 1945, Hugo died in prison of malnutrition. At the end of the war, the Frank family immigrated to the United States, where Dr. Frank obtained a teaching position at Arkansas Technical University. Dr. Frank died in San Francisco, California in 1973. In 1986 August, a memorial was dedicated to Dr. Frank at the Faculty of Engineering at Yamanashi University in Japan, with Lou Frank speaking at the memorial's dedication. From 1987-1989, the Frank family and one Makoto Honobe participated in the process of clarification of the false charges against Hugo C. Frank. The process ultimately ended with a letter of apology to the Frank family, and in 1993, a centenary book of Dr. Louis Hugo Frank, detailing the Frank family's life in Japan, as well as the investigation into the death of Hugo C. Frank, was distributed. Lou E. Frank died in San Francisco in 2007.

Acquisition information:
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1996.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Ludwig E. Frank papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563