I just wanted to flink in that Hitlers disturbance - what in my
regard was the sign of his mental illness - was his hyperexaggerated
selfidentification with the German people.  I can tell you Hitler said,
and many have heard him say that, that "Sollte ich jetzt sterben und das
Deutsche Volk wird zur Grunde gehen" ("The German people cannot exist
without me").  Wherever Hitler heard about the greatness of the German
people his convincion was propulsed, as it is expressed i.e.  in Hans Sachs
singing the end of Wagners "Die Meistersinger".  Of course one can always
say Wagners antisemitism affected Hitlers, but I would say 'twas rather
marginal compared with other things.

Besides, Wagners antisemitism was a result of many and contradicting
emotions in him, selfhatred among them (remember he changed his legal
name; Geyer).  Wagner has written and said foul things about the jews,
but he has also said things like for example:  "I would have nothing
against the jews if they just gave up their religion"; In a letter to
his friend Ludvig II of Bayern he complains on the antisemitists that write
him letters believing they can "count with" him.  And so we have that jew
Levi, who conducted the first performance of "Parsifal" in Bayeuth...

James Zehm
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