An elderly couple from Nebraska stopped by our Mexico City news bureau on the Paseo de la Reforma last week to discuss the Korean war effort. Said the husband: "We came down here on a summer vacation trip--the longest distance we've ever been away from home. We still make sure that we read TIME every week, and the Korean war news has us worried. Do you think we should go home and try to help?"

The Nebraskans' call at TIME'S office was typical of the stepped-up interest abroad in all the news from the U.S. and in all U.S. publications since the Korean war began. Here are some notes on this subject from TIME Inc. bureaus around the world:

Paris. "Sidewalk vendors, chanting the French equivalent of 'whaddyuh read?' (which consists of reeling off in a rapid, blurry, plaintive monotone the names of various publications, including London dailies and the European edition of the New York Herald Tribune) have little trouble disposing of their wares. There's an increase in reader interest in all newspapers and periodicals since the outbreak of the Korean war. And our dealers are reporting sellouts and heavy demands for TIME from Copenhagen to Istanbul.

"The demand for American news of the war and its corollary events has even revived a deplorable wartime habit: waiters in some cafes have again taken to looking over your shoulder if you happen to be reading the news."

Rio de Janeiro. "The war jumped the newsstand sale of U.S. publications 25% here. Brazilians want to know what the score is. Americans want to know what isn't told in the communiques: How high are prices going? What about the draft? Should they cable home and order a new car? Should they offer their services to the U.S. war effort?"

Tokyo. "Some of the American troops have begun to ask our correspondents at the front if there is any chance of reviving TIME'S World War II Pony edition, which you could carry in your pocket. The men are reading every American periodical they can get their hands on -- when they have time to read. They're anxious, among other things, to see what is being written and read in the States about the job they're doing in Korea."

London. "The demand for TIME is up about 20% since the onset of the Korean war. To some extent the increase is due to American visitors, 'but mainly it is due to British interest in Korea. The people feel that they are vitally affected and want to get firsthand news. According to one of our biggest wholesalers, 'The people want to see how the Americans feel the war is going in Korea.' "

Rome. "Americans in Rome for the Holy Year are showing a deep anxiety over the Korean war and events at home. Many have asked if they should cut their European visits short. The wife of an American business executive, touring the Continent with her teen-age daughter, asked if she could call on TIME'S other bureaus along her route for new developments that might affect her stay.

"More Italians have taken to reading American publications primarily because they consider the American viewpoint on world events more impor' tant now than ever before. A member of the Italian Foreign Office explained it this way:

" 'Here in Italy it is difficult to find out what is really going on. Most newspapers have party viewpoints, and there are so many different interpretations of news bulletins and official handouts that you seldom know what to think. TIME, on the other hand, has men on the spot and gives a clear, concise view.' "

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