[greymule]

Tim— Thank you.

Bob— Many people have speculated about the source of Hitler's hatred for Jews. Was it that he was himself part Jewish and full of self-hate? Was it the Jewish doctor who couldn't save his mother? Was it shock at his first exposure to Hasidim, who looked strange to him and spoke differently? Was it that certain Jews supported Bolshevism? Probably nobody will ever know for sure. Certainly by the end of his life he had convinced himself that "International Jewry" was behind everything bad that had ever happened, probably including the sinking of the Titanic. So his delusions fed on themselves.

My own guess is that it was pure political expediency. The collapse of the German economy hurt some people more than others, so it was easy to gain favor with people who were doing badly by telling them that it was all the fault of the people who were not doing as badly.

It is interesting that in the early years, when Hitler was testing the political waters, he had almost nothing to say about Jews.

While reading a biography of Hitler, I was struck by the long, flowery, thankful, practically adoring letter he wrote to the doctor who treated his mother. Perhaps later, in his paranoia, Hitler decided that the doctor must have killed her, but I know of no hard evidence for that.

I read a lot about WW2, Hitler, Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill, etc. Unfortunately, my books are in storage after a move, but when I dig them out I'll try to find some pertinent material to send you.