The New York City teachers' strike in 1968 over the issue of the removal of some teachers in Ocean Hill-Brownsville created an opportunity for a study of the effect of the strike on children's political values and beliefs. Drawing upon a sample of Jewish boys and their parents from an almost exclusively Jewish community, two hypotheses were tested: (1) the boys (aged eight to 12) would have more positive evaluations of Major Lindsay than of Albert Shanker, the union president; and (2) Lindsay would be judged right and Shanker wrong. The hypotheses are predicated on the assumption that children have positive attitudes toward elected, authoritative figures. However, the data disproved both hypotheses. During a crisis the traditional patterns of political socialization are apparently altered. In this instance there occurred a reversal of the usual way in which children apply learned symbols--there appeared to be a tendency (among the younger boys) to ascribe legitimacy to the illegitimate use of power. (NH)