THE NATION: Grey Mood

THE NATION Grey Mood When it's not Sputnik talk, it's recession talk," grumbled a Chicago teen-ager last week. "Doesn't anyone have fun anymore?"

It was indeed a somber mood that hung over the U.S. Added to post-Sputnik uneasiness about the nation's technological lead over Russia was uneasiness about the economy. Total personal income in the U.S. had sagged in both September and October, the first two-month decline since the post-Korea recession of 1953-54, and most other economic indexes show signs of droop (see BUSINESS).

Pinch & Punch. What did the signs add up to? Answers ranged from a breather (Dwight Eisenhower)...

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