Time

TO OUR READERS 4

LETTERS 7

CHRONICLES 13

MILESTONES 22

COVER: The Last Testament of Richard Nixon 26

He concluded that he would be remembered not for China but for Watergate. "The jury has already come in," he said. "There's no appeal." But when he died after suffering a stroke last week, the verdict on Nixon was becoming, if not softer, at least more complicated.

Book Excerpt: Completed just days before he fell ill, Beyond Peace gives Nixon's critique of our times amid reminiscences about the mighty that he battled and worked with. Above all, he urges Bill Clinton not to squander America's world leadership.

Obituary: Richard Nixon, born in 1913, grew up poor and felt snubbed by the Eastern establishment, but that only made him try harder. He became one of the most reviled figures of his time, but he was also the only man in U.S. history to be elected twice as Vice President and twice as President.

DIPLOMACY: Credibility Gap 52

Clinton is acquiring an image of incompetence

The Political Interest: Keep trading with China

SOUTH AFRICA: The Great Day Is Dawning 58

A photo essay captures the first all-race election

RELIGION: Two Small Heads for One Black Hat 64

A Tibetan Buddhist sect knows a child shall lead it--but which?

WHITEWATER: Hillary Meets the Press 65

The First Lady is open, candid and unflappable

ENTREPRENEURSHIP: The Sweet Smell of Success 66

A road show sells inspirational uplift and keys to happiness

PUBLIC EYE: Seeing Stars over Kelso 68

Seven women Senators try to hold the admiral accountable

TECHNOLOGY: Your Chips or Your Life 69

THE ARTS & MEDIA 70

Art: Despite a long career, Arthur Boyd is barely known outside Australia, yet he is one of the world's major living painters

Theater: Disney hits Broadway with Beauty and the Beast

Cinema: Backbeat - we hate it, yeah, yeah, yeah

China suppresses The Blue Kite, a bold masterwork

Television: Prime Suspect 3 sends police against pedophiles

After 100 episodes, The Simpsons is still TV's best half-hour

PEOPLE 79

ESSAY 80