Fore more urdu books visit www.4Urdu.com

More oxford books @ www.OxfordeBook.comFore more urdu books visit www.4Urdu.com60THE EDUCATION OF AYN RAND, 1905–1943Communist program. Though the wartime alliance between the SovietUnion and the United States would bring a few prominent intellectualsback into the fold, by 1940 Party affiliation was transforming from abadge of honor into a slightly embarrassing relic of youth. 53Yet Rand was still spooked by just how popular Communism and socialismhad been. She was right to understand that the Communist threat hadnot vanished entirely, even though intellectual fashions had changed. Sovietspies remained in Washington, D.C., and some would successfully filchvaluable military secrets during World War II. But the Communists werenot on the verge of taking over the American political system. At the heightof their influence they had mustered fewer than one million members andbarely 100,000 votes. 54 Still, Rand’s broadside made for exciting reading.One of the first people Rand shared “Fifth Columnists” with wasChanning Pollock, whom she had met during the Willkie campaign.Pollock was a newspaper columnist and moderately successful playwrightwho had been on the advisory board of the Liberty League andwas well connected to wealthy conservatives. Like Rand he was a committedindividualist and an implacable foe of Roosevelt. But unlikemany of the president’s opponents, Pollock favored aid to Britain andshared Roosevelt’s sense that America’s involvement in the war might benecessary. He traveled the country regularly delivering folksy speechesthat denounced Communism, the New Deal, and isolationism in equalmeasure. He had even floated the idea of a “vigorous organization of theGreat Middle Class” that would “rout the rotten forces of Communism,Fascism, collectivism and general nuttiness, and put America back on itsfeet—a hardworking, united United States.” 55 His idea anticipated thegroup Rand herself hoped to start.Rand contacted Pollock in early 1941. Pollock was a “name,” someonewho could attract both donors and attention to her proposed organization.Without help from him or somebody similarly prominent, Rand’sidea would go nowhere. Pollock was interested, but not ready to commitimmediately. He decided to test the concept during an upcoming lecturetour, asking anyone interested in a political group to contact him. Henetted four thousand names, enough to convince him that Rand’s ideahad wings. Returning to New York in April he gave Rand the go-ahead.He sent out a brief letter to prospective backers and asked Rand to drawup a statement of principles to attract interested parties.