To H. W. Miller, a fan [Letter 94]

139 East 35th Street
New York City

September 1, 1943

Dear Mr. Miller:

I will not attempt to thank you for the things you said about “The Fountainhead.” I am very happy, not merely that you liked it, but that you liked it for the right things.

You write of yourself as belonging to those who “haven’t the slightest idea what a large number of people think they’re doing.” That has always been my own problem. I can write about the second-handers. I am baffled when I come up against them. I wonder whether you and I mean the same thing, the same feeling—and, anyway, I grant my respect immediately to anyone who cannot understand the behavior of people at present. To understand them completely is to be part of them—and that is not an honorable distinction in the world of today.

I am frankly curious and should like to meet you in person. Would you telephone me at Murray Hill 6-6549? I would like to discover what you are like—and, if you’re interested, I’ll tell you “how in Hell anyone has the strength to do so much hard work, all of it good.” Thank you for that lovely sentence.

Sincerely yours,

*AR’s daily calendar for 1943 includes an entry just two days later for a lunch with Miller, meeting him at the Ritz. There is another “Mr. Miller” entry for September 9, 1943.