Every TIME story on U.S. foreign policy includes extensive reporting by the Washington bureau. But rarely does the quest for facts and analysis involve as many members of the bureau and their disparate assignments as this week's cover package on the dramatic hardening of the Reagan Administration's Central American policy. As last week progressed, Bureau Chief Robert Ajemian moved to deploy more and more of his 18-person staff to cover the multiplying elements and events. Defense Correspondent Bruce Nelan sought to put together details of the U.S. ground and sea exercises in and around Central America, but found "the Pentagon planning group that will work out the specifics with Honduras was not even scheduled to arrive there until Aug. 1." Nelan, however, was able to draw on information he had gleaned during a three-week trip in June through five Central American countries to assess the military situation. Diplomatic Correspondent Strobe Talbott, who wrote this week's Essay, could also call on firsthand knowledge gained from two recent visits to Central America.

State Department Correspondents Johanna McGeary and Gregory Wierzynski found that normally friendly sources were edgy at first, though by week's end several high-ranking policy-makers became more accessible. Wierzynski also met twice with Cover Subject William Clark, and with U.N. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick. Clark took time for two sessions with White House Correspondent Laurence Barrett, including a quiet dinner late in the week to discuss his role as National Security Adviser in the events. On Capitol Hill, Correspondents Evan Thomas and Christopher Redman covered the House's passage of the bill to cut off funds for covert operations in Nicaragua. Redman also detailed the debate over the CIA'S role in Central America. The story even spread into a Washington federal courtroom, where Justice Department Correspondent David Jackson reported on an American businessman who is suing the U.S. for occupying part of his Honduran ranch in order to train Salvadoran soldiers. In all, nine Washington correspondents, as well as 32 correspondents and reporters in Latin America and elsewhere, filed reports for the cover stories. "It isn't a record," said Ajemian as he reviewed the week's efforts. "But it certainly kept us busy." This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.