ASSOCIATE Editor David B. Tinnin spent three weeks last month traveling through Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union before tackling the job of writing this week's cover story on the state of world Communism. Tinnin's tour amounted to a cram course in the style and strains of life in the East bloc. To his surprise, the biggest payoff came during a cocktail party in Bucharest. There he overheard a Communist official say that copies of a detailed secret document spelling out the agenda for the summit meeting in Moscow had been sent to party central committees all over the world. Tinnin quickly sent a cable informing the TIME-LIFE News Service, urging correspondents working on the cover to be alert for any opportunity to examine the document. One correspondent eventually succeeded.

In Moscow, Bureau Chief Jerrold Schecter was one of four American newsmen who were allowed a look at the meeting hall. To help Schecter with the preparations, Rome Bureau Chief James Bell flew to Russia--on the same Aeroflot plane with members of the Italian delegation. Washington Correspondent Gregory Wierzynski talked with Government officials, foreign diplomats and academic experts. From Hong Kong,

Correspondent Bruce Nelan sent an analysis of the Sino-Soviet split. Other TIME bureaus throughout the world also weighed in with reports. In addition to Writer Tinnin, the New York staff that worked on the cover included Senior Editor Jason McManus, Researchers Sara Collins and Hanne Meister.

From the Paris bureau they received an unexpected contribution --an intimate, first-hand report on Chinese Communism from the staff librarian, Jean Pasqualini. Born in Peking of a Chinese mother and a Corsican father, Pasqualini served as an interpreter for the U.S. Marines after World War II, later was arrested by Mao's police, charged with spying and sentenced to twelve years in a labor camp. After serving seven years, Pasqualini was released.

The essay on Marxism that accompanies the cover was written by Max Ways. The contribution represents a welcome return engagement. Ways, a member of FORTUNE'S Board of Editors, was for many years a senior Editor of TIME.

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