ONE way for a newsmagazine to judge how well it does its job is through the response it evokes in the letters from its readers--some thoughtful, some witty, some angry, yet each one informative to the editors as a measure of reader interest. By that gauge, 1960 is a bumper year for TIME. For the first five months of the year, TIME'S letters have reached an alltime high --20,153, for a 40% increase over the same period last year. Letters on National Affairs, which always comprise the bulk of the mail, are up 45%; the Foreign News section has drawn 75% more letters than in 1959; and the surge of interest continues through the magazine with Education alone drawing nearly three times the letters it did last year.

For some of the stories in this week's issue that might keep TIME'S letter-answering staff busy, turn to:

National Affairs, which analyzes Nikita Khrushchev's spectacle of vilification in Sverdlov Hall and what effect it has had on himself, the world and the presidential campaigns of both Republicans and Democrats.

Foreign News, which describes the Kremlin's "new" disarmament plan, gives a brief glimpse of the Soviet general picked by Khrushchev to rattle rockets at Russia's near neighbors, and describes the death and remarkable funeral of Novelist Boris Pasternak, who finally won peace from the vituperation of his government.

Science, which follows the fiery trail of last week's cover story on space satellites with a penetrating look at the rocket re-entry problem, illustrated by five pages of color photographs, including the first shot of an ICBM nose cone streaking through the dense lower atmosphere.

Sport, which told about the kid-studded, American League$#151;leading Baltimore Orioles last week, now turns to the National League-leading Pittsburgh Pirates, whose manager, Danny Murtaugh, must cope with a grab bag of wildly assorted talents and temperaments.

Religion, which tells the news of Africa, where missionaries from Dr. Livingstone on have hopefully striven to spread Christianity, but where the "white man's faith" is now facing unprecedented opposition from nationalism, from Islam, from witches and ancestor worshipers, and from the self-styled Messiahs of Christian splinter sects.

Show Business, which moves among the dark marquees of Broadway, dark for the first time since the actors' strike of 41 years ago, where stars and bit-players alike are doing all their acting at union meetings.

Business, which after querying travel agents and knowing TIME correspondents in every major country of Europe, presents an intimate compendium of prices and pourboires, foods and festivals, hotels and hot spots for the summer of 1960.

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