Ayn Rand, during the 1940s, met several industrialists. One was Tom Girdler of Republic Steel, a brilliant innovator and a firm opponent of FDR’s New Deal. She read his Boot Straps, admired his “gallant fight,” and urged him to read The Fountainhead. They became allies! While writing Atlas Shrugged, which honored human ability, she interviewed many additional producers. They “seemed amazed,” she noted, “to find a writer who wanted to glorify industrialists.” Atlas celebrates and defends the heroes she admired.