To Stephen Sipos, a fan [Letter 466]

c/o Random House
457 Madison Ave.
New York City

June 1, 1960

Dear Mr. Sipos:

Thank you for your letter of August 13, 1959. The pressure of work has prevented me from answering it sooner.

I am glad that my philosophy has helped you. Your letter seems to indicate that you have understood it and accepted its basic ideas in a rational manner. I hope that you will continue to be an active thinker.

I must compliment you particularly on two points: your realization that both communism and Catholicism are enemies of the independent mind—and your realization that a doctor should choose his profession for the sake of his own creative, scientific effort, not for the sake of service to others.

Since you intend to be a psychiatrist, I enclose a brochure which will interest you. Nathaniel Branden is one of the two men to whom I dedicated ATLAS SHRUGGED. He is a young psychologist who has applied my philosophy to his own profession and has developed an original system of psychology, which will revolutionize the field. He is writing a book on this subject, to be published in the not too distant future.

Should you ever visit New York, please get in touch with me through Mr. Branden’s office. I would like to meet you in person. I must add that I feel a great sympathy for the victims of the Hungarian Revolution. You may have heard that I was born in Russia and left some years after the Russian Revolution. So we have a specific historical enemy in common.

With my best wishes for your future,

Cordially,

Ayn Rand