To Gerald Loeb [Letter 305]

This letter was previously published only on the Ayn Rand Institute website.

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July 31, 1947

Dear Gerald: 

Thank you very much for your many notes and letters to which I owe you an answer. I am late as usual, but you know me by now and you will forgive me. 

First, I want to tell you how much I enjoyed your last visit here and meeting Rose. I am glad you wrote that she likes me, because I liked her very much and I think you will be very happy together. All my best wishes again for both of you. 

I had a very nice letter from your mother in which she mentioned that you were to send us the photographs which she took of us here. This is just a reminder to tell you that we would like very much to have them. 

I was interested to see the little pamphlet by Mr. E. F. Hutton and his ad in the New York Herald Tribune. The ad particularly is excellent. Mr. Hutton is obviously sincere about the fight, and I should like to meet him when I come to New York or if he ever comes to the West Coast.[*] I am glad you sent him a copy of ANTHEM. Let me know what he thought of it. Do you think I should send him some copies of my articles on Americanism in THE VIGIL, the Motion Picture Alliance magazine? I believe they could be helpful to him. 

Now as to the letter from Miss Jean Dalrymple, even though she paid some nice compliments to my writing, I wish you had not sent the letter to me, because it is a rather offensive letter, though I am sure she did not intend it as that.[**] She says that she “certainly could be of assistance in having Miss Rand turn out a tremendous theater work.” Gerald, darling, you surely know me well enough by now to know that I do not write with anybody’s assistance. When and if I decide that I want to write

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a new play, I will write it. I have never undertaken a piece of writing on somebody’s suggestion, advice or prodding. When I come to New York I would be glad to meet Miss Dalrymple, but only on condition that she give up any idea of moulding me like some writer from P M.[***]

I have no special news about myself, except that I am working on my new novel, am enjoying it tremendously and it is going very well. I don’t know as yet when I will have it finished, but I know that I will not be able to come to New York this fall. So I am looking forward to seeing you and Rose here when you come west. 

Best regards from both of us to both of you, 

Sincerely,

Ayn Rand

*Neither the pamphlet nor the advertisement is in the Ayn Rand Archives, nor is there any evidence that Rand ever met Hutton.
**Jean Dalrymple (1902–98) was a theatrical producer and one of the founders of New York City Center, a theater where she produced revivals of major plays, including King Lear with Orson Welles.
***PM was a left-leaning daily newspaper published in New York City from 1940 to 1948.