Time

TO OUR READERS 4

LETTERS 22

CHRONICLES 33

COVER: The Mother Who Killed Her Kids 42

Pleading on TV for the return of her "carjacked" children,

South Carolina's Susan Smith tugged at the nation's

heartstrings -- until she told the police where to find the bodies

The Phenomenon: If kids are slain, a parent is often the culprit

The Scapegoats: Why do blacks always get the blame?

POLITICS: Will the Center Hold? 52

Clinton will have to deal with a more polarized Congress

LAW ENFORCEMENT: Maybe Politicians Got It Wrong 63

While three-strikes laws falter, prevention puts a dent in crime

JUSTICE: A Jury of His Peers 64

The panel in the Simpson case is no prosecution dream team

HEALTH: A Sad Day for the Reagans 65

The former President announces he has Alzheimer's disease

THE PRESIDENCY: Expanding the Security Bubble 66

How much of a fortress does the White House have to be?

CUBA: The Rise of Raul 68

Castro's younger brother takes charge of economic reform

BOSNIA: Muslims Take to the Offense 71

For the first time, the Bosnian government scores big victories

BUSINESS: The New Service Class 72

For those with the skills, there are plenty of good jobs

ENTREPRENEURS: What a Fall for Bruce McNall 75

Prison looms for rare-coin tycoon and sports-team king

CRIME: A Global Gusher of Greenbacks 76

Russians and Chinese want dollars, but often get counterfeits

ENVIRONMENT: Godfathers of the Tiger-Skin Trade 77

Organized crime muscles into endangered-species smuggling

SCIENCE: The Tender Side of Dinosaurs 78

A fossil embryo suggests the "monsters" were caring parents

MEDICINE: A Better Way to Test-Tube Babies 79

New methods could make in-vitro fertilization easier on Mom

THE ARTS & MEDIA

Art: The influences that shaped the great Impressionists

80

Cinema: A ferocious Linda Fiorentino in The Last Seduction

82

Television: Scarlett is a soporific maxi-series 83

Theater: Off-Broadway is bubbling with plays gay and sad

84

Music: For Michael Nyman, success is sweet revenge 88

Books: An odd new novel blends fantasy and philosophy 93

John Updike's stories portray duffers-in-waiting 96

Novemberfest is a sour tale of divorce 96

Teen suffering in Snow Angels, a skillful first novel 97

( Was Clarence Thomas the man he seemed to be? 101

PEOPLE 103

ESSAY 104

TIME (ISSN 0040-781X) is published weekly except for two issues combined into one at year-end for $61.88 per year by Time Inc. Principal Office: Time & Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York, N.Y., 10020-1393. Reginald K. Brack Jr., Chairman, CEO; Don Logan, President; Joseph A. Ripp, Treasurer; Harry M. Johnston, Secretary. Second-class postage paid at New York, New York, and at additional mailing offices. (c) 1994 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. TIME and the Red Border Design are protected through trademark registration in the United States and in the foreign countries where TIME magazine circulates. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to TIME, P.O. Box 30601, Tampa, Florida 33630-0601. For subscription queries, call Customer Service at 1-800-843-TIME (8463).