ABSTRACT
Radial velocities and infrared photometry have been obtained for seven bright long-period variables in the direction of the Magellanic Clouds. Five stars with periods shorter than 250 days were found to be Cloud members. They are probably core-helium burning supergiants of about 15 times the solar mass; there is also a possibility that they are overtone pulsators on the upper asymptotic branch with masses in the 7-9 solar mass range. It had previously been suggested that the bright short-period (100-250 days) LPVs might be foreground Mira variables of low mass in the Galactic halo. The supergiant long-period variables in the Magellanic Clouds exhibit a distinct period-luminosity relation which should be useful for the purpose of extra-Galactic distance determination.