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RADICALS FOR CAPITALISM 195
ventures were deeply intertwined, sharing the same offi ce space and
staff. Barbara was the managing editor, and Nathan’s sister, Elayne
Kalberman, came aboard as circulation manager. The newsletter established
a path of upward mobility for aspiring NBI students who could
now be published as Objectivist writers. Its primary contributors were
Ayn and Nathan, but others chimed in with book reviews, essays, and
cultural commentary. Rand had fi nal say over all articles and enjoyed
editing and shaping submissions. The newsletter fulfi lled a dream that
dated from her days on the Willkie campaign. Back then she had imagined
a publication that would serve to unite opponents of the New Deal
and inspire them to fi ght for capitalism. Twenty years later she achieved
that goal.
The introduction of The Objectivist Newsletter marked Rand’s redefinition
of herself as a public intellectual ready to comment on current
events. In the fi rst issue she announced the arrival of Objectivism
as a philosophical movement with a unique political viewpoint.
“Objectivists are not ‘conservatives.’ We are radicals for capitalism,”
she declared. 15 The newsletter was a slim publication that typically
ranged from four to eight pages in length. Most issues included a lead
article by Ayn or Nathan, a book review, a feature titled “Intellectual
Ammunition Department,” where reader queries about the application
of Objectivist principles to real-life situations were answered, and
an Objectivist calendar making note of pertinent activities. Almost all
of the books reviewed had a right-wing slant or tended to reinforce
Objectivist biases, although the magazine gave a glowing review to Betty
Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique, calling it “brilliant, informative, and
culturally explosive.” 16 Other covered titles included the Aristotelian
philosopher Brand Blanshard’s Reason and Analysis and Ludwig von
Mises’s Human Action. Reviews were generally evenhanded, mixing
praise and criticism, and each concluded with a section that evaluated
the book according to Objectivist standards. Through the longer articles
by Rand, often reprints of her speeches, subscribers got a fi rsthand
look at her elaboration of Objectivism beyond the outline presented
in her novel.
Unapologetic and extreme, the new Rand had a talent for getting
headlines. As her ideas spread she became both a media punching bag
and a media darling. Mike Wallace was among the fi rst to understand
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