@Daas,
“the very logical argument that the Rebbe caused his chassidim to believe that he was moshiach.”
Fair enough. Here goes.
The Rebbe zy”a never shied away from stating his opinion on Halacha or Hashkafa or coming out with various Mitzvah campaigns, no matter how controversial they were.
From the Litvishe opposition to Mihu Yehudi, to the Satmar anger at the Tefilin Campaign, to the derision of his Shittos about the shape of the Luchos or Menorah, the Rebbe never backed down.
Never did the Rebbe say “look, the world doesn’t like the Taharas Hamishpoche Campaign, or Mihu Yehudi is getting too much flak, so let’s just say these things in private”.
Had the Rebbe wanted the world to believe he’s Moshiach, he would have said so in a very public way, with nothing to hide. The Rebbe stood for emes, not chas vesholom two faced deception.
These attacks on the Rebbes integrity are shameful and completely forbidden. (Shulchan Aruch Y”D 243:6-7.)