American Labour's Cold War Abroad by Anthony Carew

Author:Anthony Carew [Carew, Anthony]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Modern, 20th Century, Social History
ISBN: 9781771992114
Google: gD9vDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Athabasca University Press
Published: 2018-09-21T22:28:34+00:00

Bringing Foreign Policy Differences to a Head

At the special executive council on 16 June 1966, Walter Reuther was very much on the defensive for having placed his criticisms of the AFL-CIO in the public arena. Meany gave him a dressing down and the UAW leader was forced to reassure the meeting that his observations on the walkout were meant to censure neither Meany nor Faupl. But on his wider criticism of AFL-CIO international policy generally he held firm; he expressed “deep concern” at the drift in international affairs and the fact that federation policy was neither positive nor constructive. The meeting voted by three to one to endorse the action taken by Faupl and Meany, but Reuther secured agreement to hold a further special meeting in November to review the whole range of AFL-CIO foreign policy, which he described as “rigid” and “frozen” and contrary to President Johnson’s “bridge-building” approach to the Soviet Union.109 In the meantime, Victor Reuther’s specific allegations about AIFLD and the CIA were slated for separate discussion at the regularly scheduled executive council meeting in August.

Privately, Victor Reuther claimed not to be worried by Meany’s “statistical majority” in the executive council, comforted in the belief that those supporting his brother represented a larger share of total AFL-CIO membership. More importantly, he told the British labour counsellor: “While George may have the votes in the EC, he sure as hell won’t get any votes in Europe.” Victor saw this as the start of a major battle over foreign policy and wrote bullishly to Dan Benedict: “this is but the opening shot in what I am sure will eventually involve a broadside against many aspects of AFL-CIO policies in the international field.”110

Within the AFL-CIO international affairs department there was equally a sense that a decisive confrontation was now in the offing, combined with an air of confidence over the eventual outcome. The AFL-CIO executive council had chosen to make no public statement over these internal differences that would dominate discussion in the coming months. Indeed, Walter Reuther was subsequently condemned for continuing to talk to the press about the issues involved. However, Jay Lovestone’s views found their way into print via the syndicated column of labour correspondent Victor Riesel. Describing the UAW offensive as “open warfare,” he predicted “a long hot summer.” Echoing Lovestone’s thinking, Riesel offered a scenario in which the outcome would be determined by whichever side had the best links to President Johnson: “Meany and the overwhelming bloc of U.S. labour chieftains will not retreat. . . . The Reuthers will then tell the Meany majority to jump in the Potomac . . . and then proceed on their own with the bridge-building. The big question is, however, ‘Who will control the pontoon to the White House?’”111

Victor Reuther was preparing in depth for the executive council meeting in August. Throughout the summer he assigned his international affairs department staff to sleuthing work—what he dubbed “Operation August”—tracking down AIFLD representatives and taking statements from them.112 In

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