Other arrangements could be devised according to the tastes or views of those who like allegory or topical reference. But I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse 'applicability' with 'allegory'; but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author.
-JRR Tolkien
So it my mind, made clear by that last sentence, he certainly knew people would make comparisons and allegories to their own experience, and that is what he wanted to happen. He, however, did not want to demand that all interpretations match his own by creating outright allegory. He thought that to be heavy handed by an author.