Winifred Wagner
Siegfried Wagner was the son of composer and artist Richard Wagner, whose music Adolf Hitler very much admired. The Wagner family were the leading patrons of the Bayreuth Festival, an annual music festival, and after Richard’s death its ownership passed to Siegfried. Siegfried was a closet homosexual, and as the last of the Wagner line, the only possibility of the Festival remaining in Wagner hands was an arranged marriage, with the hope that Siegfried would be able to produce an heir. An arranged marriage between Siegfried and Winifred Williams Klindworth, and English born orphan of 17, took place in 1915. The couple eventually had four children together.
Hitler was a great fan of Wagner and he was introduced to Winifred in 1923. Immediately smitten, Winifred supported Hitler during his incarceration following the Beer Hall Putsch, sending him food, money, and when she learned of his work with Hess on what became Mein Kampf, paper and other writing necessities. The support developed into a close friendship between Hitler and Winifred, which continued to grow after his release. Winifred was a close friend of Hitler personally, but never joined the Nazi party nor espoused its beliefs. As early as 1933 whispers in Nazi social circles of an impending marriage between the two were surfacing (Siegfried, who was 28 years older than his bride when they married, died in 1930).
After the death of her husband Winifred took over the operation of the Bayreuth Festival, though the Festival itself remained in the hands of the Wagner family. As its director she received support from the German government in the form of direct grants and tax credits and exemptions. Hitler became a frequent guest at the Wagner family seat, Haus Wahnfried, a villa built by Richard Wagner. Wahnfried is a compound word formed from the German words for Peace and Delusion. Hitler also provided services and assistance for the four Wagner children.
In the late 1930s Winifred, who had been raised in both England and Germany, served as Hitler’s personal translator during negotiations with British officials seeking to prevent the outbreak of war. This entry into the innermost of Nazi party circles raised eyebrows among senior Nazis, and from their wives. It was especially noticed by Eva Braun, who was excluded from meetings in which official business of any kind was under discussion. Hitler’s level of trust in the English born Winifred was self-evident, and she often kept notes for the Fuhrer during such meetings. After the war broke out Winifred remained in Bayreuth, and continued to run the festival.
Winifred later claimed to have never joined the Nazi Party, and that she found the anti-Semitic policies of the party repugnant. Other than her claims there is little evidence to support her position. Her children and grand-children claimed that she remained an unrepentant supporter of Hitler for the rest of her life, and she used the code USA to refer to him in letters. USA was short for Unsere Seliger Adolf, German for Our Blessed Adolf. Following the war she was banned from the Bayreuth Festival and its control was transferred to her children. She remained friendly with and welcomed to her home Ilse Prohl, Emmy Goering, and other former Nazi wives, and corresponded with Unity Metford, always praising Adolf Hitler.