What was going on when I was born?

''When we heard about Love Canal, we were kind of happy it didn't happen to us,'' said Joseph T. Kluge, whose home is just across a field from Union Carbide's Linde plant here. ''Now look what's happened.'' Mr. Kluge lives in the shadows of the sprawling Linde industrial complex where, according to a State Assembly report released yesterday, the Federal Government once dumped more than 37 million gallons of radioactive caustic waste from the World War II atomic bomb project. On this dreary, chilly Sunday afternoon in this industrial city north of Buffalo, Mr. Kluge and his neighbors were trying to figure out just what this monumental finding about something that happened in the 1940's might mean for their lives, their health and their property values.

Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. has relieved Robert E. White of his duties as United States Ambassador to El Salvador as a sign of a new policy in Central America, according to State Department sources. Mr. White, a career Foreign Service officer, has been strongly criticized by many Republican conservatives. He was called here for consultations last week by Mr. Haig and informed that the Reagan Administration would soon appoint a new Ambassador to El Salvador to signal the new United States policy, the sources said. When a change in administrations involves a change in party, most of the ambassadors who are political appointees lose their jobs. However, career ambassadors, such as Mr. White, generally remain at their posts or are transferred to another assignment. The Reagan Administration has not made any announcements on career assignments.

Sales of the Chrysler Corporation's ''K'' cars have increased significantly in the past few weeks, enabling the auto maker to keep open assembly plants that were scheduled to shut this week. In a series of interviews, some Chrysler dealers said that ''K'' car sales had picked up so much that they were ordering cars from Chrysler to replenish inventories. Other dealers said they were even expanding their inventories, which had been kept at a low level because of high interest rates. The improving sales, which many dealers attribute to Chrysler's 7 percent rebate for credit buyers, are expected to provide the company with additional cash to help tide it over the next few weeks as it puts together a financial package to qualify for $400 million in Federal loan guarantees.

Three persons who said that they were members of the Jewish Defense League were issued summonses for harassment after they alledgedly were abusive to diplomats at the Soviet Mission to the United Nations. The three - Howard Perel, 19 years old, of Manhattan; Barbara Herzka, 21, of 144-27 70th Avenue, Forest Hills, Queens, and Shira Goldstein, 17, of Manhattan - were taken for questioning to the 19th Precinct, along with six others who were not formally charged, according to the police. Mr. Perel said later that he had ''spat and cursed'' at the diplomats as they left the mission, and had shouted slogans refering to Anatoly B. Shcharansky, the imprisoned Soviet dissident.

The Federal Department of Energy, which last year acted to cap possible radiation leaks at the site of a World War II ordnance works near Buffalo, expects to take additional measures this spring, a high official of the department said yesterday. The site of the old Lake Ontario Ordnance Works was among those where ''environmental crimes'' had been committed in the Buffalo area and elsewhere, it was charged by a New York State toxic waste task force in a report issued Saturday. The task force said Federal officials and the United States Army had failed to take sufficient action against radiation and chemical contamination arising from the World War II atomic bomb project and from ordnance plant activity.

International A Polish labor protest was called off by the independent union's National Coordinating Commission, headed by Lech Walesa. A one-hour strike was to have been held tomorrow to show Solidarity's support for private farmers who are demanding their own union. Mr. Walesa said the strike would be rescheduled ''if there is any attack on us or on farmers.'' The union's press spokesman said the Governmentunion agreements reached on Saturday ''were far from satisfactory.'' (Page A1, Column 6.) Resumption of talks on arms control with Moscow is planned by the Administration, officials said, despite harsh comments last week about the Soviet Union by President Reagan and Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. The officials said, however, that talks would be impossible if the Soviet Union intervened in Poland, which is one of the major concerns of the new Administration. (A1:5.)

A picture caption in early editions of Metropolitan Report on Saturday incorrectly identified the speaker at a meeting at Brooklyn Technical College. He was City Councilman Abraham G. Gerges.

Nature-lovers mourn as bases bloom in Negev A2 Anna Chennault, back from Pe- king, finds "things change" A3 Pope is expected to name Bishop of Orleans to Paris post A4 Around the World A5 Iranian President begins appar- ent offensive against clerics A6 Korean dissidents transferred to prisons away from Seoul A8 Government/Politics About Washington: Putting life into the law A12 The choice for C.I.A.'s No. 2 post is an electronic spying expert A14 Liberals support reforms, but have different approach A14 Reagan's first Congressional test is a request to raise debt ceiling A17 Departing head of F.A.A. cites im- provement in air safety A17 How New York City engineered a victory in Albany B3 Is Koch using criticism of Carey as a pressure tactic? B3 General Around the Nation A12 Redevelopment fever creates ten- sion in Chicago's Uptown A12 Atlanta murder investigation is focus of much criticism A13 Ex-hostage says he almost es- caped embassy grounds A15 Education/Welfare Queens parents defy Macchiarola on transfer of pupils B3 Style Relationships A16 Schools stereotype children with one parent A16 They come to the aid of corporate parties A16 Childbirth is eased in a chair A16 SportsMonday Auto Racing: Redman's team wins at Daytona in a Porsche C4 Basketball: Archibald leads East to 123-120 All-Star victory C1 N.B.A. players, fans disagree on All-Star choices C6 New Knicks must deal with past C7 Louisiana State soars without a superstar C7 De Paul routs Syracuse for 18th victory C6 Boxing: Books of Maps organiza- tion subpoenaed C1 Columns: Red Smith on a gift from Red Blaik C2 Dave Anderson on an ex-hos- tage and the Brewers C5 Features: Eric Heiden willing to trade glory for privacy C1 Sports World Specials C2 Question Box C11 Sporting Gear C11 Football: N.F.C. beats A.F.C., 21- 7, in Pro Bowl C3 Golf: Watson, Bryant share Crosby lead at 136 C8 Miss Palmer wins in Florida by 2 strokes C8 Hockey: Slipping Islanders bow to Bruins, 6-3 C3 Outdoors: Iceboaters move at swift pace C11 Sports News Briefs C11 Statistics C12 Tennis: Tanner tops Fibak in final of U.S. pro indoor C2 Track: Floyd, Miss Brown set in- door bests in 60-yard dash C8 Arts/Entertainment Hazel Scott enjoys being a solo pi- anist again C12 Elvis Costello and the Attractions play the Palladium C13 Ze'eva Cohen dances five solos by five choreographers C13 Limon Dance Company adds two works to reportory C14 Foreman's "Penguin Touquet" opens at Public Theater C14 Perlman appears with Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society C15 South African play given pre- miere at Syracuse theater C16 "The Oppressed Middle" by Earl Shorris is reviewed C16 Grant Johannesen plays Schu- mann's "Fantasie" for piano C16 Changes in top-level management continue at CBS News C17 Gregory Haimovsky plays piano recital at Goodman House C17 Lily Tomlin returns to television in a CBS special C19 Features/Notes Going Out Guide C15 Notes on People C16 News Analysis James M. Markham examines Spain's political crisis A10 Editorials/Letters/Op-Ed Editorials A18 Gains vs. cost on grain embargo Visit of South Korea's President No-frills house of the 1980's Fred Hechinger: ombudsmen Letters A18 William Safire: deceptively placid start for the Reagan team A19 Henry S. Bienen: globalists vs. re- gionalists on foreign policy A19 Michael M. Yoshitsu: Japan's changing role in the Mideast A19 Jeff M. Hulewicz: the new pres- tige of Polish-Americans A19

New York's municipal hospital system, which over the last decade has required increasingly larger subsidies from the city, next year will require $100 million less than expected, the Koch administration said yesterday. Deputy Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. said that the finances of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation were ''the best it has achieved in its 10 year history.'' And in a news briefing scheduled for today at the corporation's headquarters, Mr. Wagner is expected to outline some of its major financial achievements.

POLISH LABOR UNION CALLS OFF A STRIKE SET FOR TOMORROW WARSAW, Feb. 1 (By The Associated Press) - Poland's independent labor union announced today that it had canceled a one-hour nationwide strike that had been scheduled for Tuesday. The strike was planned to support the demands of private farmers to be allowed to form their own union. The announcement came during a recess of the 10-million-member union's National Coordinating Commission, which was meeting in special session here. But the commission chairman, Lech Walesa, declared that the ''warning'' strike would be rescheduled ''if there is any attack on us or on farmers.''

''If you build in wages and other benefits based upon an exaggerated Consumer Price Index, you ratchet up inflation at a time when productivity is not rising,And that is a problem.'' -Paul A. Volcker, chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. (D2:6.)

As Al Bianchi left the dressing room today before the start of second-half play, the assistant coach of the West all-stars said: ''They're running plays, that's not fair. You're not supposed to do that in all-star games.'' The East all-stars' ability to run more plays and execute them better was the key to their 123-120 victory in the 31st National Basketball Association All-Star Game before a crowd of 20,239 here at the Coliseum, The East squad could run basic plays because it had Nate (Tiny) Archibald, the Boston Celtics' playmaker. His speed, penetration and nine assists earned him Most Valuable Player honors. He beat out Robert Parish, his Celtic teammate, who scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.