What are people talking about in the U.S. this week? One of the ways TIME'S editors try to find the answer to this important question is a weekly report on "Topic A"—a special summary in which a number of TIME correspondents report on the most-talked-about subjects in their communities each week. Topic A serves as a kind of test of the impact of major news stories. More important, it helps TIME'S editors form a picture of the news that has caught the interest of many people in cities, villages and on farms across the continent.

Sometimes a single event will absorb much of the attention of people from coast to coast. Recent examples were the Minnesota and New Hampshire primaries and the death of King George VI. More frequently, however, the leading subjects of conversation are almost as numerous as the reports—ranging from a siege of virus influenza in Los Angeles to the traffic death rate in Wichita and a drive to eliminate rabid foxes in Pennsylvania. And even during those weeks that are dominated by a single subject, other topics compete for conversational honors.

Minnesota's surprising primary-election results, for instance, did not put other local and national news events into total eclipse. Spring showers and a grand jury inquiry held at least part of the attention of people in Buffalo. A new book on Truman and the President's withdrawal from the California primary were among the leading topics in Los Angeles. Arizona's farmers spoke happily about the water backing up behind the state's dams.

A month earlier, Philadelphia and New York City were engrossed in the capture of Willie Sutton, while Seattle was deep in a controversy over fluoridation of its water supply. San Franciscans talked of little but the wildcat transit strike and the resulting traffic snarls, but a little farther south, in Los Angeles, Topic A was Governor Warren's entry into the Wisconsin primary race. In Charleston, S.C., people were indignant about judges who were resigning in order to be renamed to their posts at higher pay, while Indianapolis was swept up in the Hoosier State's annual excitement over the high-school basketball tournament.

Topic A is not meant to be a comprehensive survey of everything that is going on everywhere. Its purpose, instead, is to reflect the country's moods and enthusiasms, and to help discriminate between subjects of passing and continuing interest.

Occasionally, one subject will preoccupy a part of the country for many weeks at a time. Throughout most of January, waist-deep snow and temperatures ranging to 35° below zero crowded out most other conversation in Salt Lake City. Finally, on Feb.1, Correspondent John Polly's Topic A report read: "Oh, what a beautiful morning. Sun shining, birds singing following heavy rain and sleet last night. Weather-minded Utahans decide life's worthwhile after all."