The magnetic moment induced by an external magnetic field of 5.8 T on the Co 3+ ions in LaCoO 3 has been measured by polarized neutron diffraction. Measurements were made at 100 K, near to the spin-state transition, at 1.5 K and at 285 K. The data give evidence for a transition from the ground singlet state (S = 0) to the excited triplet intermediate spin state (S = 1). The energy of 1000 H ≈ ∆ K estimated for the high-spin (S =2) state, is too high to contribute significantly even at T = 285 K. There is evidence for a small negative covalent spin density associated with the oxygen ligands amounting to about one fifth of the aligned Co 3+ moment at all three temperatures.