This letter is in response to O’Connor’s introductory letter on February 8, 1953. Writing from his home in Smyrna, Tennessee, Cheney takes this opportunity to sympathize with O’Connor’s bad reviews; his own writing has received its share of negative reactions! Here, Cheney opens the door on another interesting facet of their relationship: Catholicism and conversion. Over the course of their correspondence, they will spend many letters discussing theology and their favorite theologians.