image It was true that the singular conditions of the war had allowed the Communist Party to grow more quickly than it had previously. However, the party’s dirty little secret was that its Hollywood organization—which proclaimed vigorously the vanguard role of the proletarians—was disproportionately composed of intellectuals, particularly writers and directors. This situation was a problem, for as the party’s theory suggested, painters and carpenters were more likely to lead far-reaching battles against the moguls and to press for democratic gains for society as a whole; the strike of 1937, and that of 1945, suggested this idea. Hence, when the strike of 1945 and the lockout of 1946 occurred, the party did not have as much influence with CSU leaders as the moguls imagined.