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After Pearl Harbor, Reuther strongly supported the war effort and refused to tolerate wildcat strikes that might disrupt munitions production. He worked for the War Manpower Commission, the Office of Production Management, and the War Production Board. He led a 113-day strike against General Motors in 1945-1946; it only partially succeeded. He never received the power he wanted to inspect company books or have a say in management, but he achieved increasingly lucrative wage and benefits contracts. In 1946 he narrowly defeated R. J. Thomas for the UAW presidency, and soon after he purged the UAW of all Communist elements. He was active in the CIO umbrella as well, taking the lead in expelling eleven Communist-dominated unions from the CIO in 1949.

After Pearl Harbor, Reuther strongly supported the war effort and refused to tolerate wildcat strikes that might disrupt munitions production. He worked for the War Manpower Commission, the Office of Production Management, and the War Production Board. He led a 113-day strike against General Motors in 1945-1946; it only partially succeeded. He never received the power he wanted to inspect company books or have a say in management, but he achieved increasingly lucrative wage and benefits contracts. In 1946 he narrowly defeated R. J. Thomas for the UAW presidency, and soon after he purged the UAW of all Communist elements. He was active in the CIO umbrella as well, taking the lead in expelling eleven Communist-dominated unions from the CIO in 1949.

As a prominent figure in the anti-Communist left, he was a founder of the [[Americans for Democratic Action]] in 1947. In a 1948 artcle in ''[[Colliers]]'' Reuther stated,

As a prominent figure in the anti-Communist left, he was a founder of the [[Americans for Democratic Action]] in 1947. In a 1948 artcle in ''Colliers'' Reuther stated,

{{Cquote|The [[liberal]] who succumbs to the [[united-front]] lure believes that [[Communist]]s are simply [[Democrat]]s- in-a-hurry.  He points to their concern over [[civil liberties]] (when it suits the party line), their loud support for [[Economic planning|price and rent control]]s, their advocacy of full employment, [[healthcare reform|health]], Social Security, and minimum-wage legislation. And he asks, "Since the Communists are going my way, why shouldn't I [[fellow traveler|travel]] with them?"  

{{Cquote|The [[liberal]] who succumbs to the [[united-front]] lure believes that [[Communist]]s are simply [[Democrat]]s-in-a-hurry.  He points to their concern over [[civil liberties]] (when it suits the party line), their loud support for [[Economic planning|price and rent control]]s, their advocacy of full employment, [[healthcare reform|health]], Social Security, and minimum-wage legislation. And he asks, "Since the Communists are going my way, why shouldn't I [[fellow traveler|travel]] with them?"  

The answer, of course, is that Communist concern for [[progressive]] reform under [[parliamentary democracy]] is little more than a temporary expedient, designed to enlist as many allies as possible against the day when the [[class struggle]] attains its climax in [[revolution]]

The answer, of course, is that Communist concern for [[progressive]] reform under [[parliamentary democracy]] is little more than a temporary expedient, designed to enlist as many allies as possible against the day when the [[class struggle]] attains its climax in [[revolution]]