@AvriaDeArah I do believe that Rav Schneerson ZT”L denied being Moshiach on several occasions and I think there’s a letter where he criticizing a Lubavitch rov for claiming that he’s Moshiach. It’s likely that the extent in which people believed him to be Moshiach was kept from him and he simply didn’t know how widespread it is. The last few years of his life, he had a stroke and was unable to communicate much. During that time, the meshichists became a lot more brazen and would openly sing “Yechi” in front of him to the anger of the agudists. His inaction was taken to mean that he accepts their beliefs. I’ve heard that one of his doctors, a frum Talmid Chacham, had a difficult time keeping meshichists away from his bedside. He said that they would ask their Rebbe questions and take every mumble and grunt as they chose to interpret it.
Menu