ONE day soon, perhaps late in April, the U.S. Air Force plans to test-fire its first intercontinental ballistic missile, the Atlas. Known to its keepers as "the Bird," Atlas presses evenly, inevitably, inexorably, upon the visible pattern of U.S. defense, industry and life, including Southern motels (see cut). For the story of the man, Air Force Major General Ben A. Schriever, who has the responsibility of developing the ICBM as an operational weapon, see NATIONAL AFFAIRS, The Bird & the Watcher.

IN the blood-gushing days of the 1930s, Frank Brewster, chief slugger for the Teamsters' Union on the West Coast, once walloped a cop in a picket-line brawl, was hauled off to headquarters, beaten almost to death --and arose from his knees to cut a swath of destruction with his manacled hands. But Frank Brewster decided he wanted to be more than a brick-fisted mug. See NATIONAL AFFAIRS, From Goon to Gent.

WHILE the State Department offered itself (and everyone else) tranquilizer pills, and Dag Hammarskjold landed in Cairo wearing a forbearing expression, Gamal Abdel Nasser, colossus of the canal, laid down his terms. They were enough to make the angry angrier, and Hammarskjold's task harder. But if there is little promise of a satisfyingly early comeuppance for Nasser, there are slow squeezes at work. See FOREIGN NEWS, Three Ways.

FOR all the hoopla that accompanied Stanley's mission to Africa, it was a secret affair compared to the electronic safari that serpentined through French Equatorial Africa last week under the intrepid leadership of TV's Arthur Godfrey. Not only did Godfrey overcome serious communications hazards to beam regular bureeek reports back home for his millions of listeners but, where Stanley merely found Livingstone, Godfrey & Friends achieved the heretofore unheard-of feat of introducing underarm deodorant to the people of the Dark Continent. For a static-free report of the mission, see TV-RADIO, White Hunter.

SIX weeks ago TIME sized up the line-up for the year's big auto racing, came to the conclusion that Italy's Maserati was the car most likely to sweep the grand prizes, foresaw more loving cups for World Champion Driver Juan Manuel Fangio and the rest of the Maserati team. The conclusion was borne out at last week's Sebring, Fla. Grand Prix test, as Winner Fangio was quick to note. See SPORT, Fireworks for Fangio.

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