What was going on when I was born?

A photograph in The Times on Monday, accompanying the obituary of Hede Massing, former wife of Gerhart Eisler, was misidentified. It showed Mr. Eisler's second wife, Hilde Eisler.

Representative Jim Wright of Texas, the majority leader, is urging his Democratic colleagues in the House to take a critical, hard-line approach to President Reagan's economic package of tax and budget cuts. In a nine-page analysis of the Reagan program, which he sent to each of the 242 House Democrats, Mr. Wright asserted that the package ''imposes a grossly unfair burden on those least able to carry that burden, those Mr. Reagan describes as the 'truly needy.' '' In an accompanying letter, the majority leader suggested that members might use his analysis in preparing public comments about the Reagan proposals. The letter is the latest example of a growing Democratic counterattack against the President's program. Party leaders say they support the goals of the program and promise expeditious consideration. And, saying they recognized the need to hold spending down, the Democrats voted with the rest of Congress today against a pay increase for Federal employees. (Page A15.)

With his Cabinet split, President Reagan has put off one of the most important economic decisions of his young Administration, whether to seek relief for the troubled American automobile industry by asking Japan to voluntarily restrain its car exports to this country. The Cabinet has been so divided that a decision originally scheduled to be made at a Cabinet meeting today has been deferred in hopes of forging some compromise between a purist free-market faction that philosophically opposes import restraint and a pragmatist faction that argues that Mr. Reagan cannot afford politically or economically to deny the automobile industry the relief. The ultimate decision will test the President's overall economic policy and its practical application toward ailing domestic industries. It will also test his campaign pledge, to the important blue-collar constituency in the auto-producing states that helped carry him into office last November, that he would aim to convince the Japanese of the need for restraints.

Standard Oil Company of Ohio will buy Kennecott for almost $1.8 billion in cash, the two companies announced. The pact was the third multibillion-dollar takeover to be announced in the last week, and the second involving a major American oil company. (A1.) Consolidated Edison was granted a 15.5 percent increase in electric rates by the New York State Public Service Commission. The new rates will lift the basic charge for a typical residential customer by $5 a month in New York City and by $7.50 in Westchester County. The increase, the largest ever granted to Con Ed, will add $449.5 million to annual revenues. (A1.)

Until 1978, the American Can Company of Greenwich, Conn., offered a comprehensive program of benefits to its employees. It provided vacation time, a retirement plan, disability pay, and medical, dental and life insurance - the works. But Ellen Devey, a systems programmer at the company's headquarters, was not impressed. ''I was already covered by my husband's medical program,'' she said. ''My plan was just a waste of money.'' Like the employees of many companies, Mrs. Devey said she had never considered how much her benefits were worth. All she knew was that they did not suit the needs of her family.

The Port Authority decided yesterday to install fire sprinklers throughout the World Trade Center complex at a projected cost of $45 million. It is expected to take three to five years to complete the project. Contracts will be let through competitive bidding. The work, which will be done after office hours, is expected to begin in about five months.

TOP JAPANESE CAMERMAN The cinematographer for such Japanese film classics as ''Rashomon,'' ''Ugetsu,'' ''Yojimbo,'' ''Street of Shame'' and ''Tokyo Olympiad'' is Kazuo Miyagawa. Beginning tonight, 27 of his films will be screened on weekends through May 10 in a retrospective at Japan House, 333 East 47th Street, near First Avenue. All are in Japanese with English subtitles. Mr. Miyagawa will attend screenings this weekend. Tonight at 7:30 o'clock, he will introduce his last complete film, ''The Ballad of Orin'' (1977). Tomorrow at 2 P.M., he will introduce ''Rashomon'' (1950) and ''Ugetsu'' (1953) and talk about his association with the directors Akira Kurosawa and Kenji Mizoguchi. Sunday at 2 P.M., before the screening of ''Floating Weeds,'' Mr. Miyagawa will discuss that film, with slides. Admission, $3.50. Information: 832-1155.

''By rejecting these increases, we not only attain some savings to the taxpayers but we further state once again that we are, at long last, truly serious and determined to ultimately balance the Federal budget.'' - Senator Howard H. Baker Jr., speaking of the rejection of raises for members of Congress, the judiciary and senior Government employees. (A15:3.)

The Port Authority, announcing its first major venture into industrial development, said yesterday that it was ready to spend $33.6 million on industrial parks in the South Bronx, on Staten Island and in Elizabeth, N.J. The agency said the parks could generate as many as 5,000 jobs in the metropolitan region. The plans announced by the authority, which is generally concerned with the running of the region's bridges and tunnels, were hailed by Mayor Koch, Governor Carey and Governor Byrne. Peter C. Goldmark Jr., executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said the move into industrial development, which was approved by the legislatures of both states in 1978, represented a future direction for the agency. The authority's overall industrial park plan envisions investment of $1 billion to produce 30,000 jobs.

The Pakistani Government agreed today to release 55 prisoners at the demand of hijackers who had set a deadline to kill three American passengers they are holding with about 100 others in an airliner here. It had been feared that the hijackers, who killed a Pakistani diplomat, Tariq Rahim, last Friday, might begin systematically killing the remaining hostages, starting with the Americans. A Syrian officer, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Kholi, one of President Hafez al-Assad's chief military aides, radioed the Pakistani decision to the hijackers just 20 minutes before the expiration of the deadline of 6 P.M. (11 A.M., New York time) that they had set for the killing of the Americans.

The commuter force of two million that invades Manhattan every weekday is meeting increasingly strong resistance as trains, buses and roads deteriorate and repairs are put off for lack of money. Tired of the flailing elbows and dueling attache cases, the weak in the commuter force are succumbing, some say. Some have taken jobs near their suburban homes and others have moved into Manhattan to avoid being stuffed into trains on the Long Island Rail Road, hour-long delays on Conrail express trains and the North Jersey Coast Line, 40-minute waits for buses scheduled to arrive every five minutes and mile-long backups at toll bridges and tunnels. Those who remain - a hardy, new breed of commuter - apparently are inhumanly patient, seemingly crushproof, resistant to extremes of temperature and impervious to rudeness, indignity, fare increases and delays. They are forging new strategies for dealing with mass transit in the 80's.

French are off and running at last A2 U.S. official plays down El Salva- dor and chides press A3 No. 2 at State Dept. learning on the job A3 Trudeau urges Reagan to act on Atlantic fish stocks A11 Salvador leftists blamed for raid on news conference A3 Vatican assails fetal diagnosis used to encourage abortion A4 Around the World A5 Soviet embarks on blitz of the U.S. media A7 Turkey holds state funeral for two diplomats killed in Paris A10 Islamic peace mission to Iran and Iraq admits failure A10 Levesque calls a vote in Quebec as his support seems to ebb A11 Chinese leadership now concilia- tory toward dissidents A32 Government/Politics Inquiry planned on sex-for-vote reports on 3 Congressmen A13 Navy assails workmanship of sub- marine builder A14 Divided panel urges changes in Social Security system A15 Nellie Gray views antiabortion fight as apocalyptic A18 Abortion becoming priority issue in Congress A18 General Around the Nation A12 CETA worker out to better her life views Reagan cuts with alarm B2 Stanley Brezenoff is elected city hospitals chief B3 Health/Science Soviet Union launches 2 astro- nauts into earth orbit A19 Industry/Labor Negotiators assess positions in coal talks as deadline nears A17 Weekend Events: Weekender Guide C1 New Music Hall offers 'Amer- ica' in 27-week run C1 Theater: Broadway C2 Arthur Penn directs "The Wild Duck" in Brooklyn C3 "Black Elk Lives" at Enterme- dia C4 Dance: Season springs into life all over city C1 Screen: "Back Roads," with Sally Field C6 At the Movies C8 "Modern Romance" opens C8 "The Howling," new Sayles film C10 "Windwalker," drama of In- dians on the Plains C10 Restaurants C18 Where to find the best Irish cof- fee in town C26 Art: Italian drawing of 1800's at Grey Gallery C20 French book illustrations at the Public Library C21 Barry Le Va's works at Sonna- bend Gallery C22 Auctions C23 Books: "Winter Garden" by Beryl Bainbridge reviewed C28 "White Hotel" by D.M. Thomas Publishing C30 Music: Ethel Merman singing in concerts C3 Marilyn Zschau in City Opera's "Attila" C4 The sensual side of Edith Sitwell's "Facade" C16 Brian Eno is new musical guru C17 Sha Na Na at the Beacon C17 Style For wedding photographers, something new B4 Couple's Design: Fit for a Queen B4 Obituaries Max Delbruck, pioneer in modern molecular genetics A19 Sports Red Smith on the youngest back- packer A20 Iowa takes lead in N.C.A.A. wrestling A20 Pacers help Knick playoff hopes by beating Bullets 20 St. John's ousted from N.I.T. A21 Social Security can be trimmed Shoving them out Words count Topics: winners and sinners Letters A30 Flora Lewis: an American econ- omy of brains A31 Dorothy Roe Lewis: What F.D.R. told Hoover March 3, 1933 A31 Mike Rosenberg: Jimmy Carter for Congress A31 Walter F. Mondale: to future Vice Presidents A31 Robert L. Nessen: the same old beginning A31