Adolf Hitler was a closet homosexual and used his homoerotic charisma to gain power, a leading German historian said.

　　Lothar Machtan's book“Hitler’s Secret: The Double Life of a Dictator”argues that an awareness of the Nazi leader's sexual orientation may help us understand his life. Its launch has caused a sensation at this year's Frankfurt Book Fair.

　　“There are things in Hitler's life which are puzzling. The knowledge of his homosexuality can help us to understand him better,”Machtan, professor of modern history at Bremen University, told Reuters in an interview at the fair.

　　Hitler learned to manipulate his“homoerotic potential”and used this“erotic charisma”to gain power.

　　“If we look at the important circle of people around Hitler, an awareness of his homosexuality makes it easier to comprehend how a man like him without contacts or influence could become so powerful,”Machtan said.

　　Hitler used this charisma to win the backing of groups such as the Freikorps (Free Corps) militia and the Nazi“brown shirts”who provided the muscle that aided his accession to power in the chaotic democracy of the Weimar Republic.