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THE EDUCATION OF AYN RAND, 1905–1943
After an initial introduction by Pollock, Rand and Emery met three
times during a visit he paid to New York. Emery was deeply impressed
by Rand. Her passion, clarity, and literary talents overwhelmed him, and
he immediately pledged his support for the new organization.
Small business owners like Emery would always be among Rand’s
most consistent fans. Her emphasis on economic individualism coupled
with her newfound patriotism resonated powerfully with politically conservative
business owners. When she showed Emery her “Manifesto,” he
wanted the NSBMA to publish it. He passed it on to his friend Monroe
Shakespeare, the owner of a Michigan-based company that manufactured
fi ne fi shing tackle. Shakespeare was similarly enthusiastic. He
wrote Emery, “What do we have to do to get this Individualist Manifesto
available for publication? I had a speaking engagement before the luncheon
club at Three Rivers this past week and I condensed that down to
a half-hour presentation and they were wild about it. They would have
been twice as wild, if possible, if they could have seen the whole thing.” 6
Soon Shakespeare was corresponding with Rand too.
Although Rand spoke in the coded language of individualism, her
business audience immediately sensed the political import of her ideas.
Many correctly assumed that her defense of individualism was an implicit
argument against expanded government and New Deal reforms. Rand
was a powerful polemicist because she set these arguments in terms
both abstract and moral. She fl ew above the grubby sphere of partisan
politics, using the language of right and wrong, the scope and scale of
history to justify her conclusions.
We the Living was another effective weapon in Rand’s arsenal. It
established her, at least among political conservatives, as an expert on
Soviet Russia and a living example of American superiority. After reading
the novel Emery wrote her an emotional letter describing his reaction:
“I thought I was one of the few who was really awake. I thought
I knew and appreciated what we have, but I know now that I was at least
half asleep.” 7 Midway through the novel Emery paused to inspect his full
refrigerator, newly grateful for the bounty contained therein.
As the “names” came in, Rand began telephoning and visiting potential
recruits in the New York area. She visited Ruth Alexander, a Hearst
columnist known for her conservative views, and briefl y summarized
the main points of the “Manifesto.” Alexander agreed to support the
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