  In the present work, spontaneous magnetization is observed in the inverse
magnetic susceptibility of La$_{0.7}$Ca$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ and
La$_{0.7}$Ba$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ compounds above $T_C$ up to a temperature $T^*$.
From information gathered from neutron diffraction, dilatometry, and high-field
magnetization data, we suggest that $T^*$ is related to the transition
temperature of the low-temperature (high magnetic field) magnetic phase. In the
temperature region between $T^*$ and $T_C$, the application of a magnetic field
drives the system from the high-temperature to low-temperature magnetic phases,
the latter possessing a higher magnetization.
