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RADICALS FOR CAPITALISM 191
singled out National Review for special criticism because it was a supposedly
secular magazine that surreptitiously tried “to tie Conservatism
to religion, and thus to take over the American Conservatives.” If such an
effort succeeded, Rand asked, what would become of religious minorities
or people like herself who held no religion? Goldwater’s response,
which reiterated his Christian religious beliefs, was brief yet polite. 5
Rand had a powerful admirer, but not a convert.
As her depression lifted, Rand began to explore different ways she
might exercise cultural infl uence. She was newly interested in politics
because of her esteem for Goldwater and her dislike of the dashing
presidential contender, Jack Kennedy, to her a glamour candidate who
offered no serious ideas. She made her fi rst venture back into political
commentary with a scathing attack on Kennedy, “JFK: High Class
Beatnik,” a short article published in the libertarian journal Human
Events. 6 In the summer of 1960 she even dispatched Nathan to investigate
the possibility of founding her own political party. It was unclear
if Rand saw herself as a potential candidate or simply a gatekeeper for
others. Nathan sounded out a few of Goldwater’s political advisors, who
told him that Rand’s atheism severely limited her prospects. Abandoning
that idea, Rand returned once again to intellectual pursuits. She sent her
attack on JFK to the head of the Republican National Committee to be
used as needed in Republican publications.
Shaking off her lethargy, Rand now began paying attention to the
new following she had gained through Atlas Shrugged. The book was
an instant best-seller despite the largely negative reviews it received. As
with The Fountainhead enormous quantities of enthusiastic fan mail
poured in. Although Rand could not respond personally to every letter,
she was interested in her readers, particularly those who wrote especially
perceptive or ignorant letters. Nathan often interposed himself between
Rand and the most objectionable writers, but in the early 1960s it was
entirely possible to send her a letter and receive a personal response.
Sometimes she even engaged in a lengthy correspondence with fans she
had not met, although her more usual response was to refer the writer
to work she had already published.
The Nathaniel Branden Institute both capitalized on and fostered
Rand’s appeal. Nathan used the addresses from her fan mail to build
NBI’s mailing list and advertise new courses. As the lectures expanded
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