But the shortcomings of Mr Leffler's book are few and his conclusion is powerful.

ECONOMIST: The cold war

"We should have started with a small order to get the operational side buttoned down, " concedes Leffler, 34.

FORBES: Entrepreneurs

Mr Leffler believes passionately that American policymaking towards the Soviet Union defined the second half of the 20th century.

ECONOMIST: The cold war

Mr Leffler believes in the importance of individuals and their decisions, even if only to understand how both become derailed.

ECONOMIST: The cold war

Leffler and Kalish (also 34) met in 1997 playing soccer for a club in Sydney, where both attended the city's University of Technology.

FORBES: Entrepreneurs

Leffler, the more affable of the pair, globe-trotted for distributors.

FORBES: Never Say No

Although Mr Leffler (wisely) leaves parallels to the present day implicit, he clearly has an important lesson to offer: a crisis is a terrible thing to waste.

ECONOMIST: The cold war

In 1978, Mr. Leffler formed an organization that took over the management of the historic venue, thus avoiding a sale that might have allowed a new owner to raze it.

WSJ: Brighter Lights for Town Hall

"They didn't want to abandon the building that they had owned for about 20 years, but they felt they couldn't afford to keep it going, " said Mr. Leffler, Town Hall's president emeritus.

WSJ: Brighter Lights for Town Hall

Last month, Town Hall announced that longtime board member Michael Presser would take over as its new president and CEO, succeeding Marvin Leffler, who stepped down after more than 30 years of leadership.

WSJ: Brighter Lights for Town Hall