This question is deeply imbedded in the disputes among Sartre’s closest followers that followed his death. Their disputes were not so much matters of philosophy as they were a competition for who would inherit Sarte’s legacy and be able to speak for him after his death. According to Benny Levy, a former Maoist who had been Sartre’s secretary for several years and transcribed 40 hours of taped conversations in Hope Now: The 1980 Interviews (1996), Sartre expressed hope for the coming of the Messiah.