Dear TIME-Reader:

One of the objects of TIME'S editors is to make the people who make the news come alive. This week we tell you about a onetime Bronx plumber who is very much alive though not nearly so well known as his new eminence and power would have us suppose. GEORGE MEANY, president of the American Federation of Labor, has long been a force in the labor movement; he is rapidly becoming one of the world's most influential men.

In November the A.F.L., and C.I.O. are scheduled to merge into what will become the largest organized labor body in history: members will number some 15 million people.

George Meany is the man who will command this great new force in American life. George Meany is a man to know. You will meet him and his family, learn more about his job and his philosophy, in this week's cover story, Head of the House.

Other news in TIME this week ranges from the labor temples of Britain to the art galleries of Boston, from Tibet to Indiana. Some stories are on the light side, but newsworthy in that they mirror folks as they are. Example: the PEOPLE item on how a U.S. Senator, masquerading as a Roman senator, thought he looked like Liberace.

TIME reporters were on hand, of course, for the major stories this week, but I would like to mention just two examples of offbeat coverage:

South African Correspondent Edward Hughes has been on a tour of troubled Kenya. His arrival in Nairobi coincided with a bold night foray into the capital by the native terrorists. This event, plus talks with officials who are planning a new reform government in Kenya, gave Hughes a few fast days' work and a sharp on-the-spot FOREIGN NEWS story, Mau Mau in the Cathedral.

New Bastion in FOREIGN NEWS deals with the recently concluded Iraq-Turkey defense treaty to which I would like to add a footnote supplied by Keith Wheeler, our Middle East correspondent. Wheeler was dining with KING SAUD of Saudi Arabia the night the King got the news that the treaty had been signed. Cabled Wheeler on the King's reaction: "It is his custom to have an official crier call out the latest news bulletins during meals. The treaty news was bad news for the Arabs. It came between the turkey with green beans and the steak with truffles. The King took all in his stride, however, returning to his steak after only a moment of face-dropping glumness."

Cordially yours,

James A. Linen

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