▁Catholic ▁became ▁President ▁of ▁the ▁United ▁States .) ▁ ▁In ▁a ▁letter ▁to ▁Robert ▁N . ▁B ella h , ▁he ▁wrote , ▁" I ▁am ▁sure ▁you ▁have ▁been ▁greatly ▁intr igu ed ▁by ▁the ▁invol vement ▁of ▁the ▁religious ▁issue ▁in ▁our ▁election ." ▁Par s ons , ▁who ▁described ▁himself ▁as ▁a ▁" Ste vens on ▁Dem ocrat ", ▁was ▁especially ▁enthus i astic ▁that ▁his ▁fav ored ▁politician , ▁Ad la i ▁Stevens on ▁II , ▁had ▁been ▁appointed ▁United ▁States ▁Amb assador ▁to ▁the ▁United ▁Nations . ▁Par s ons ▁had ▁supported ▁Stevens on ▁in ▁both ▁ 1 9 5 2 ▁and ▁ 1 9 5 6 ▁and ▁was ▁greatly ▁disappoint ed ▁that ▁Stevens on ▁lost ▁heavily ▁both ▁times . ▁ ▁Modern ization ▁theory ▁influence ▁In ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 6 0 s , ▁it ▁became ▁obvious ▁that ▁his ▁ideas ▁had ▁a ▁great ▁impact ▁on ▁much ▁of ▁the ▁theories ▁of ▁modern ization ▁at ▁the ▁time . ▁His ▁influence ▁was ▁very ▁extensive ▁but ▁at ▁the ▁same ▁time , ▁the ▁concrete ▁ad option ▁of ▁his ▁theory ▁was ▁often ▁quite ▁select ive , ▁half - heart ed , ▁super f icial , ▁and ▁eventually ▁confused . ▁Many ▁modern ization ▁the or ists ▁never ▁used ▁the ▁full ▁power ▁of ▁Par s ons ' ▁theory ▁but ▁concentr ated ▁on ▁some ▁formal ist ▁formula , ▁which ▁often ▁was ▁taken ▁out ▁of ▁the ▁context ▁that ▁had ▁the ▁deeper ▁meaning ▁with ▁which ▁Par s ons ▁originally ▁introduced ▁them . ▁ ▁In ▁works ▁by ▁Gabriel ▁A