The major fi gures in this story— Lippmann, Rougier, Röpke, and Hayek— sought with per sis tence and creativity to develop the structures that they believed would be most effective at sustaining an ideology that had fallen into abeyance. The success of their endeavors relied on an entrepreneurial capacity to conceive of new modes of or ga ni za tion and to bear the practical diffi culties and reputational risk of their implementation. The willingness of these individuals to devote their energies to the task is a testament to the importance they attributed to the mere existence of a forum for debate. Considering the goals they were attempting to achieve, they devoted remarkably little discussion or consideration to the complex relationship between ideas and politics. Their practices, however, attest to a belief that ideological change was not best precipitated by solitary individuals; the success or failure of their project would depend, they implicitly acknowledged, on a deliberate act of collaboration.

Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion, loc. 218