In the early years of its existence, ALPA made considerable gains in protecting pay and benefits for pilots flying the line. In addition to the gains in labor, ALPA also wielded great power and influence that rivaled the large industrialists of that era. However, with the drumbeats of war growing ever closer to U.S. shores, everything that ALPA had gained up to that moment was at risk of being lost in the name of national security and patriotism.