Free Republic

He was the toast of Cambridge, a shining example of erudite, literary culture. There was just one problem. He was an alumnus to make Harvard proud. The son of a renowned Munich art dealer and a blueblooded Boston mother, Ernst Franz Sedgwick Hanfstaengl, who graduated in 1909 with a degree in history, spoke four languages and moved easily in international circles. As a student he had thrown himself into campus life, rowing with the varsity crew, cheerleading at football games, and performing at the Hasty Pudding Club -- where he was in demand, The Boston Globe noted, "for theatricals, musical...

BOSTON (Reuters) - Collegial relations between Harvard University and the Nazis in the 1930s were a "shameful" episode that helped give a favorable picture of the regime in the United States, according to a report released on Sunday. "As the Nazi menace steadily increased ... Conant's administration at Harvard was complicit in increasing the prestige of Nazi regime by seeking and maintaining friendly and respectful relations with Nazi universities and officials," the report said. The findings were presented by Stephen Norwood, professor of History and Judaic Studies at the University of Oklahoma, from a paper presented at a Boston conference...

IN LATE JUNE, the trustees of the College Board voted unanimous approval for the most dramatic changes in the history of the SAT, the venerable admissions test that is a gatekeeper of so many American colleges. Beginning in March 2005, the analogy questions that have tormented test-takers since the first SAT in 1926 (untruthful is to mendacious as circumspect is to cautious, etc.) will be abolished. In their place will be more reading comprehension questions, similar to those that already make up most of the verbal test. The math section, which now tests arithmetic, geometry, and basic algebra, will add...