 Prior to this, between 1931 and 1936, the NSW branch led by Lang was expelled from the ALP and ran as Australian Labor Party (New South Wales) in elections, also known as Lang Labor.After the reconciliation of the NSW branch and ALP, left-wing forces gained control of the extra-parliamentary executive of the NSW Branch, and in 1940 the state executive adopted a resolution calling for a "Hands off Russia" policy, which was seen as a policy opposing Australian involvement in World War II.Lang denounced this policy; despite his radicalism, he had always been strongly anti-Communist.