Rand immigrated from Russia, where her family's business was confiscated by the Bolsheviks, and this surely inspired her quest for a new Philosophy. We still have a collective memory of the excesses of fascism and McCarthyism, but probably under-appreciate the extent to which the dispossession of the upper and middle classes in Russia bred fear throughout the West and inspired those excesses.
Not all Russian immigrants fell in the "wrong crowd" as Rand seemed to have, according to those
who claim strong affinities with her "philosophy". Let's quote here
“ S a t , a ; n i s m i s j u s t A , y ,n, R; a; n; d's ; p h i l o s o p h y ,
w,i,t,h ,c,e,r,e,m,o,n,y, a,n,d, r,i,t,u,a,l, a,d,d,e,d.” -- A ; n ; t ; o ; n; L ; a; V; e; y; , f, o, u, n, d, e, r, o, f, the ,;C,;h,;u,;r,;c,;h o,;f ,;S,;a,;t,;a,;n,; and a u t h o r of 'T; h; e; :S:a:t:a:n:i:c: B::i:b:l:e:
Or could it be that Rand was already into this type of things before emigrating?
Now the postcards make sense.