Victor G. Reuther - The War Years and Beyond

The War Years and Beyond

The United States entered World War II on December 7, 1941, and for millions of American workers, industrial production was converted to supplying war material. Reuther was among the first to sense the waste and extravagant spending that the large corporations were engaging in now that they were getting lucrative military contracts. Reuther went to Washington, D.C. and informed the Roosevelt (New Deal) Democrats of the idle machinery and infrastructure that could be turned over to military production, and subsequently there were much stricter controls on how, when, and where government allocations to private corporations could be spent. After the war Reuther travelled to Germany and was instrumental in the re-organization of the German labor unions. Through the remainder of his life he continued to be a strong supporter of the union movement in Germany and the rest of Europe. In 1947 his brother Walter was elected as the president of the UAW. Shortly after that Victor became the head of the union's Education Department. He was a vocal advocate of the recruitment of women, minorities, and young people into leadership positions for the union. Reuther saw the positive results that offering further education to the rank and file workers would bring to the workplace and to future generations of workers.

An attempt on his life took place in his own Detroit home, in 1949. While he was reading a newspaper, a shotgun wielding assassin fired at him through a closed window, hitting Reuther in the face and upper body. Waking in the hospital Reuther told his surgeon, "Take my eye, or my arm or leg, but spare my tongue. I've got a living to make." Reuther lost an eye and the partial use of one arm, but survived. The gunman was never caught. Even though the Detroit police had some very good eyewitness accounts and descriptions, they never followed up successfully on any of the leads.