What was going on when I was born?

Missiles were fired from Syrian territory today at Israeli reconnaissance aircraft over Lebanon, the Israeli military command announced. The missiles missed their targets, according to an Israeli spokesman, and the planes returned safely to base. In Damascus, a Syrian military spokesman said that Syrian forces inside Lebanon had shot down an Israeli reconnaissance plane. The spokesman did not use the word missile in describing the Syrian action. (Page A16.)

Dragged down by sinking auto sales, the nation's retail sales fell by 1 percent in April, the first monthly decline in 11 months, the Commerce Department reported today. With the single exception of auto sales, however, total retail sales rose nine-tenths of 1 percent in April compared with March, reflecting strong Easter purchases in the first half of the month. The major downward influence in April - auto sales - was in the same category that pushed up total retail sales in March by fourtenths of 1 percent compared with February. During March, the auto manufacturers offered price rebates to stimulate their sales.

The New York City Police Department is now training all its officers and detectives for situations they might encounter if they are in a bar when a holdup occurs. The program is a direct result of the murder of an off-duty police officer during the robbery of a Queens tavern last January, but there have been at least six fatal shootings in 10 years of city police officers in bar holdups. For the new training program, the department created a simulated tavern, which serves nothing stronger than weak tea, at its outdoor range near City Island in the Bronx. Called ''Bubbles' Place,'' after a firearms instructor with that nickname, the ''bar'' is being used for role-playing exercises that are then discussed by small groups of police personnel.

John S. Samuels 3d, his financial empire in apparent disarray, said yesterday that he would resign as chairman of the board of the New York City Opera. At least for the time being, he will retain the chairmanships of the City Center of Music and Drama and the Lincoln Center Theater Company at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. His successor as chairman of the opera board will be Robert W. Wilson, a 54-yearold private investor. Mr. Samuels, 47, emerged from obscurity to become a powerful figure on the New York performing-arts scene in the mid-1970's. But recently his business empire, based on coal, has suffered severe reverses.

New York State's highest court ruled today that the state could not prohibit the use of children in portrayals of sexual activity in books, films, photographs or plays unless it could prove that the resulting materials were legally obscene. By requiring a finding of obscenity, the 5-to-2 decision by the Court of Appeals would make it considerably more difficult to obtain convictions in child pornography cases. The court struck down a portion of a 1977 law that made it illegal to produce, promote or sell materials that showed children in sexual activity whether the materials had been adjudged obscene or not. Such a prohibition, the court said, would ''prohibit the promotion of materials which are traditionally entitled to Constitutional protection from government interference under the First Amendment.''

Francis Hughes, an Irish Republican Army hunger striker, died in the Maze Prison near here this afternoon in his 59th day without food. The death of the 25-year-old Mr. Hughes, who was serving a life sentence for the murder of a British soldier, came just one week after the death of another hunger striker, Robert Sands.

French Socialists turn silent as they ponder the future A2 Britain and West Germany seek changes in Common Market A3 Peru's tough antiterrorist law comes under fire A4 Around the World A5 Weinberger tells NATO about an internally weakened Russia A6 Marcos sees "no reason" for a visit to Washington A7 White House said to back Salvador in rejecting talks A8 House panel maintains ban on military aid to Angolan rebels A10 British police investigating blast at site visited by Queen A12 Syrians say they downed an Is- raeli plane A16 Government/Politics Brown's anticrime plan barely clears a legislative hurdle A18 Senate panel votes to keep con- sumer safety agency A25 Albany approves $16.6 billion budget, 42 days late B2 Koch criticizes citing of poverty as "excuse" for crime B3 State picks potential site for toxic- waste treatment plant B3 General Around the Nation A18 Corn belt worrying about rain and interest rates A18 The City B3 More protection sought at Green- wich Village intersection B3 Industry/Labor Negotiations resume in miners' strike A18 Obituaries Hoyt Fuller, critic and editor A32 Simon Lissim, painter, stage de- signer and teacher A32 Benjamin H. Sheares, President of Singapore; gynecologist A32 Living Section Food First dinner party: A cook's ad- ventures C1 The 60-Minute Gourmet C3 Hialeah aides get clothing bonus C3 The tale of a giant catfish of Laos C15 Wine Talk: Good reds at attrac- tive prices C18 Living Personal Health: If your medical age is too great C1 Saudi men still hold firm rein C1 Metropolitan Diary C2 Kitchen Equipment C2 Maxwell's Plum opens in San Francisco C3 A school where cooking is part of the curriculum C6 Best Buys C11 Discoveries C12 Glitter C22 Where a gentle art is still prac- ticed C22 Arts/Entertainment Newman, Redford sought for "What Price Glory?" on stage C26 Mexico City Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall C26 Ed Palermo and band at Seventh Avenue South C26 "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music" staged C27 Czeslaw Milosz ending exile to re- ceive degree in Poland C27 Tributes to Ansel Adams and Duke Ellington on PBS C28 Suspense novels by Littell and Deighton are reviewed C33 School of American Ballet's An- nual Workshop Performance C34 RCA's entry into pay-cable TV ex- pected this week C34 Sports St. John's wielding hot bats de- spite spring chill B4 Islanders beat North Stars, 6-3, in opener of Stanley Cup finals B5 Celtics rout Rockets, 109-80, and take 3-2 lead B6 Yanks down A's, 4-1 B5 McNeil, unsigned, stays away from Jets' camp B5 Red Smith on a Garden party with a song B7 Promoter says Cooney-Weaver bout agreed upon B7 Mets' pitching outlook cloudy as road trip opens B7 Ciccarelli leads North Stars rookie brigade B7 Features/Notes About New York B4 Notes on People B20 Going Out Guide C31 News Analysis John Vinocur examines effects of French election on Schmidt A3 Edward Cowan on the Social Se- curity proposals A29 Steve Lohr discusses the surge in interest rates D1 Editorials/Letters/Op-Ed Editorials A34 Bravery on Social Security Mayor Koch's loose change Love's labor's arbitrated Topics: changing the old rules Letters A34 James Reston: the new missile di- plomacy A35 Russell Baker: gourmet's night out A35 Michael M. Harrison: foreign policy under Mitterrand A35 Jeff Melvoin: The Boston anti party A35 Edward A. Olsen: adding a J to ANZUS A35

For a while earlier this year, it seemed as though the longawaited decline in interest rates had arrived. Seven weeks ago, key short-term rates were touching yearly lows. A relative calm prevailed in the money markets amid guarded optimism that the new economics of the Reagan Administration might bring inflation under control while pushing interest rates down as well. Today, there is little calm or optimism in the money markets. Looking back, one securities trader said yesterday, ''We'll be calling that the false rally of 1981.''

International A second Irish hunger striker died in a prison outside Belfast in his 59th day without food. Francis Hughes, a member of the outlawed Irish Republican Army, had been serving a life sentence for the murder of a British soldier. The latest death touched off new sectarian violence. (Page A1, Column 1.) Missiles were fired from Syrian soil at Israeli reconnaissance aircraft flying over Lebanon, apparently for the first time, the Israeli military command announced. But an Israeli spokesman said that the missiles had missed their targets and that the planes had returned safely to base. (A1:4.) A Syrian military spokesman said that Syrian forces in Lebanon had shot down an Israeli military reconnaissance plane, but he did not specify how. (A16:4-6.)

The Republican-controlled Senate adopted a $700.8 billion budget endorsed by President Reagan that was intended to reduce the size and scope of the Government for the 1982 fiscal year. The Senate budget was similiar to the $689 billion conservative fiscal blueprint adopted by the House last week. It envisions eliminations and reductions for many agencies and social programs. (Page A1.) President Reagan sent Congress his proposal to reduce Social Security benefits. (A1.) House and Senate committees voted to cut up to $1.8 billion from the food stamp program used by 22 million Americans. (A28.) The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved a 30 percent cut in funding for the Consumer Product Safety Commission. (A25.)

The Reagan Administration told Congress today that its program of regulatory relief had already yielded billions of dollars in savings and that more than 100 separate reform actions taken so far were ''only scratching the surface.'' Murray L. Weidenbaum, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, and James C. Miller 3d, executive director of the Presidential task force on regulatory relief, in testimony before the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, provided the Administration's first assessment of regulatory changes that have been made since January. Regulatory Cost Tested They appeared in support of legislation that would require independent Federal agencies to put any proposed new industry regulations to the test of whether benefits exceeded costs. An executive order in place since Feb. 17 applies the same criterion to the newer executive branch agencies.

A state conference on aging, convened to prepare for a White House session later this year, put aside its agenda today to condemn President Reagan's most recent proposal to trim Social Security benefits. About 700 delegates to the Governor's Conference on Aging shouted nearly unanimous approval of a resolution opposing the President's recommendation to reduce benefits for those choosing to retire before the age of 65, a plan made public by the White House yesterday. The resolution said the conference ''reaffirms the paramount importance of retaining and strengthening Social Security benefits'' and ''strongly opposes Administration proposals on changes in early retirement benefits and other Social Security reductions.'' 'Unprecedented Cutbacks' Earlier, the delegates adopted a resolution expressing alarm at ''the unprecedented cutbacks in human services affecting the elderly, especially the elderly poor, proposed by the Reagan Administration.'' Approval was automatic when more than 350 delegates signed supporting petitions, but a standing vote was taken to underscore the position.