To see whether the subject matter of magazines of general circulation and the subject matter of public concern coincide, a study examined the volume of coverage of United States-Soviet relations, communism, and issues of nuclear warfare between the two nations in twentieth century popular magazines. The "Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature" in its 1945-47 volume and the August volumes for each fifth year before and after 1945, extending from 1900 through 1985, yielded the raw material for the study. The numbers of entries listed under each of the selected references were counted, and subject headings that applied were selected and organized into graphs. Findings showed that, as far as the American public is concerned, communism long ago ceased to be a threat; the cold war ended many years ago except as a matter of political rhetoric; and the primary issue today is the cessation of nuclear tension. (Two tables of data, 117 graphs, and 15 notes are included.) (MS)