, ▁which ▁was ▁dist urbed ▁by ▁anti war ▁activ ists . ▁T ogether ▁with ▁gradu ate ▁student ▁Charles ▁O . ▁Por ter , ▁Par s ons ▁would ▁r ally ▁gradu ate ▁students ▁at ▁Harvard ▁for ▁the ▁war ▁effort . ▁( P orter ▁would ▁later ▁become ▁a ▁Democratic ▁US ▁Represent ative ▁for ▁Oregon .) ▁During ▁the ▁war , ▁Par s ons ▁conducted ▁a ▁special ▁study ▁group ▁at ▁Harvard , ▁which ▁analyz ed ▁what ▁its ▁members ▁considered ▁the ▁causes ▁of ▁Naz ism , ▁and ▁the ▁topic ' s ▁leading ▁exper ts ▁participated . ▁ ▁Second ▁World ▁War ▁In ▁the ▁spring ▁of ▁ 1 9 4 1 , ▁a ▁discussion ▁group ▁on ▁Japan ▁began ▁to ▁meet ▁at ▁Harvard . ▁The ▁group ' s ▁five ▁core ▁members ▁were ▁Par s ons , ▁John ▁K . ▁Fair bank , ▁Ed win ▁O . ▁Re isch auer , ▁William ▁M . ▁McG overn , ▁and ▁Mar ion ▁Le vy ▁Jr . ▁A ▁few ▁others ▁would ▁also ▁occasionally ▁join ▁the ▁group , ▁including ▁A i - Li ▁S ung ▁( also ▁known ▁as ▁A i - Li ▁S ung ▁Ch in ) ▁and ▁Edward ▁Y . ▁Hart sh or ne . ▁The ▁group ▁rose ▁out ▁of ▁a ▁strong ▁desire ▁to ▁understand ▁the ▁country ▁whose ▁power ▁in ▁the ▁East ▁had ▁grown ▁trem end ously ▁and ▁had ▁al lied ▁itself ▁with ▁Germany ), ▁but ▁as ▁Le vy ▁fran k ly ▁admitted , ▁" Re isch auer ▁was ▁the ▁only ▁one ▁who ▁knew ▁anything ▁about ▁Japan ." ▁Par s ons , ▁however ,