IN a moment of reflection after a hard day at the Kremlin last week, Secretary of State Rogers remarked that summitry may soon become a routine event in diplomacy. In that event, the summit would become a news beat like Capitol Hill or city hall. Our troika of correspondents reporting from Moscow for this week's cover story would have no difficulty applying for the post.

P:Washington Bureau Chief Hugh Sidey has been trekking to the apex since John Kennedy's day. White House Correspondent Jerrold Hehecter, once our man in Moscow, shared the reporting chores with Hidey on the presidential journey to Peking. John Shaw, who has been covering the Soviet Union since February, previously reported from such diverse capitals as Saigon, Rome, London and Jerusalem.

P: If their assignment last week was not quite as predictable as covering an established beat, it did call for the shoe leather and craft that cubs learn early. Schecter visited the GUM store before Pat Nixon and noticed that one section was being prettied up by workers. He guessed that this was a department in which the First Lady was going to stop. When he returned later with Pat and her entourage, Schecter positioned himself at the pre-selected spot and was able to hold his vantage point. All three correspondents divided their time between the pomp and color of the visit on one hand and the substance of the talks on the other. To gain insight into what was passing between U.S. and Russian leaders behind firmly closed floors, the trio tapped sources among American and Soviet officials and some not-so-official informants as well.

P: Sidey and Shaw also reported on the interplay between the visiting press corps and their hosts (see PRESS). After work on Wednesday 50 Americans tuned in on a soccer match between the Glasgow Rangers and the Moscow Dynamos. With Russian coaching, Americans quickly became vocal Dynamo rooters (the Scots won, 3 to 2). Friendliness was also found elsewhere. While walking through a Moscow market, Schecter was stopped by a woman shopkeeper and presented with a bouquet of tulips. "Moscow is at its best this week," he concluded, "and it's fun to be back."

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