National Affairs: Grounds for Divorce

The steelworkers' President Phil Murray was busy at the negotiating table, but C.I.O. President Phil Murray had other troubles on his mind. For months Murray had been threatening stern measures against rebellious unions like the Communist-wired United Electrical Workers. Last week U.E., the C.I.O.'s biggest left-wing union, beat the C.I.O. chief to the punch. At its stormy 14th annual convention in Cleveland, the U.E.'s leadership made all but the final motions of breaking off from C.I.O. and forming a third association of U.S. labor unions, which would be Communist-controlled.

Do or Die. As he had done at the last seven U.E. conventions,...