What was going on when I was born?

RAIL COMMUTERS STEAMING By ARI L. GOLDMAN On the eve of a new round of fare increases on New York's commuter rail lines, many travelers yesterday had air-conditioning on their minds - largely because they were feeling the heat without it. ''They should hand out towels,'' said Gary Spund, a passenger on the Long Island Rail Road's 7:59 A.M. from Great Neck. ''Somedays, it's like a steam room in here.'' David Stech, a graphic artist, started the day as a commuter on Conrail's 8:41 from North White Plains, but became a 8:56 rider when he discovered the cooling system on the first train was not functioning. He rode the hot 8:41 for five minutes before switching.

With the bidding war for Conoco Inc. leading to by far the biggest takeover ever transacted, E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, the huge chemical complex, yesterday increased its offering price for the ninth-largest oil company to $7.6 billion. Ralph E. Bailey, Conoco's chairman, praising the offer, said the company's board of directors had approved it and would recommend it to its stockholders. He also signaled that Conoco was not interested in being taken over by any other company. 'The Best Opportunities' ''Conoco and Du Pont are parties to an agreement to combine the two companies, which the Conoco board and management enthusiastically support,'' he said. ''The Du Pont merger offers the best opportunities for Conoco stockholders.''

up-and-go. According to him, it's because he didn't waste any energy growing when he was young. ''Everyone calls me Jeff, from Mutt & Jeff, the old comic strip,'' he said. ''My wife didn't know my name was Morris until she saw it on the marriage certificate.''

William J. Casey, the Director of Central Intelligence, knowingly participated with several others in an investment offering for a farming company in 1968 that ''omitted and misrepresented facts'' to investors, according to a Federal District Court decision handed down in May. The ruling on May 19 by Judge Charles E. Stewart Jr. of the Federal District Court in Manhattan named Mr. Casey as one of the officers and promoters of Multiponics Inc. who was responsible for the misleading offering. Mr. Casey was then a private lawyer and was listed as the secretary and a director of the company. The company went into bankruptcy proceedings in 1971 and is now defunct. Lawsuit by Unhappy Investors Judge Stewart's decision, which was based on documents and admissions by the defendants, including Mr. Casey, was part of a drawn-out lawsuit in which disgruntled investors are seeking to recoup their losses. Many other issues in the case, including damages, remain to be litigated, and Mr. Casey's lawyers are seeking a reargument of the portion decided by Judge Stewart.

Du Pont sweetened its offering price for Conoco to $7.6 billion, as the bidding contest for the ninth-largest oil company intensified. The chemical company's offer works out to $95 a share for 40 percent of Conoco, and an exchange of 1.7 shares of Du Pont for each of the remaining Conoco shares. (Page D1.) Max C. Hugel resigned as chief of clandestine operations at the Central Intelligence Agency in the wake of allegations that he participated in fraudulent securities transactions when he managed an electronics business in the 1970's. He termed the allegations ''unfounded, unproven and untrue,'' but said that they had become a burden. (A1.)

Because of an editing error, an arti- cle in Science Times yesterday incor- rectly identified Federal laws that are said to authorize regulations on the transmission of scientific and techni- cal information to foreign nationals. They are the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 and the Export Administration Act of 1979.

Inventories held by United States businesses rose by seven-tenths of 1 percent in May, the fifth consecutive monthly increase, as sales fell and the national economy sagged, the Commerce Department reported today. With inventories building up and sales by producers, wholesalers and retailers down four-tenths of 1 percent in May, the closely watched inventory-to-sales ratio rose to 1.39, the report said. That measure, though still low by historical standards, hit its highest level since last November. It had stood at 1.37 in April.

As the royal wedding draws near, the British are agog A2 Vietnam urged to withdraw from Cambodia A3 Leftist chic are out in force at Bastille Day fete in France A3 Argentina places ex-member of junta under house arrest A3 Around the World A5 Menachem Begin receives a formal bid to form a government A8 Haig aide insists rights policy is evenhanded A10 Government/Politics Mobile, Ala., voters reject change in form of government A12 Largest conference ever begins work on budget A14 About Washington: Camera corps takes over on Capitol Hill A14 Ex-Deputy Director of C.I.A. viewed as a nonprofessional A18 Securities lawyers say inquiry on Hugle case is unlikely A18 Nassau reaches settlement to ease crowding at county jail B2 General Around the Nation A12 Youths flee Atlanta fear at Minnesota camp A12 Suspect's sister testifies against him in 1952 slayings B2 Jersey high court sets rules on hypnotized witnesses B3 Sewage from plant in Sheepshead Bay imperils beaches B3 Warrant issued for removing baby from hospital B4 Indutry/Labor Federal mediator joins talks between postal service and unions A16 Obituaries Rene A. Wormser, lawyer who specialized in estate planning A16 William Chanler, former New York City Corporation Counsel A16 Living Section Food Outdoor cooking with Latin flavor C1 The mass production of "gourmet" food C1 Kitchen Equipment C2 A California cooking school with no secrets C3 60-Minute Gourmet C3 Johnnycake is traditional and controversial in Rhode Island C8 Lukewarm foods catching on C9 Wine Talk: Chalone Vineyard, remote but fine C14 Best Buys C15 Living College vacations for the over 60's C1 Metropolitan Diary C2 Personal Health: Outpatient surgery now more common C10 Discoveries C12 World of men's clubs: a guided tour C16 Arts/Entertainment Le Bouef's heyday is recreated at Paris gallery C17 Buoyant Emmylou Harris at Dr Pepper Festival C17 "Man With the Horn," new album from Miles Davis C19 Blondie has become more than just a group C19 David and Don Was explain meaning behind the madness C19 Two one-act plays by Laurence Holder are staged C21 Daniel Yankelovich's treatise on self-fulfillment is reviewed C21 Charlie Morrow's avant-garde band salutes sunset C22 British-made biography of Cecil Rhodes on Channel 13 C23 Sports Secretary of Labor Donovan to join baseball talks today B5 Giants set to open camp on positive note B5 Maple testifies of money offer by Vasquez B5 Floyd in top form to challenge British Open B5 Red Smith on the baseball season that isn't B7 Features/Notes Man in the News: John Stein, C.I.A.'s covert operations chief A18 About New York B3 Notes on People B4 News Analysis Leslie H. Gelb assesses speech by Secretary Haig A11 Editorials/Letters/Op-Ed Editorials A22 Enough of straddles Brave Jerry Brown Lost refuge The B-plus Legislature Letters A22 James Reston: Reagan at the summit A23 Russell Baker: don't do it, Mr. President A23 Selig S. Harrison: India, and Reagan's tilt toward Pakistan A23 W.D. Eberle: profiting by the Ottawa summit conference A23

An extraordinary congress of the Polish Communist Party began today with a procedural dispute behind closed doors that delayed the election of a new party leader. The wrangle, which centered on the procedure of electing a party leader, was a setback for Stanislaw Kania, the present First Secretary. It appeared to dash hopes that Mr. Kania could be elected on the opening day, a move that would have substantially strengthened his position to control developments at the assembly of 1,964 delegates, many of whom are reform-minded newcomers. The congress was convened to provide a program and leadership to surmount the country's political and economic crisis. The delegates were lectured by a Soviet Politburo member, Viktor V. Grishin, about what he described as mistakes that led to Poland's present economic predicament, but he assured them that Moscow was confident the party would overcome its problems.

The Mobil Oil Corporation said yesterday that it had rejected a possible fuel price increase of 5 or 6 cents a gallon it contended was necessary to offset new state taxes on oil companies because ''we didn't think the marketplace could handle that.'' Instead, it said, it selected a 3-cent increase for gasoline, diesel fuel and jet fuel. In response, James H. Tully Jr., New York Commissioner of Taxation and Finance, said the 3-cent rise was still ''way over'' what the tax package would cost Mobil. And he took strong issue with Mobil's interpretation of two key provisions of the package, which levied a 0.75 percent tax on the gross receipts of oil companies and altered the formula by which an oil company's general franchise tax is computed.

"The U.S. has a broad agenda of specific arms control efforts and negotiations already under way or about to be launched. The charge that we are not interested in arms control or that we have cut off communications with the Soviets on these issues is simply not true." Alexander M. Haig Jr.

RECENTLY a group of Latin Americans scaled a rocky hill in upstate New York, forded a stream in the pouring rain and set down in a dripping wood for a cookout. Undaunted by the weather - and the gypsy moths - they hauled up heavy bags of meat and fish, bread, empanadas (meat pastry turnovers), tortillas, salads, a bowl of black beans and two cases of wine. They even brought tapes of Latin music - a serious South American barbecue must include dancing. The white wine was put to cool in the running stream, the red wine uncorked and passed around. Then they set to work to make a fire. The group included Bolivians, Peruvians, Argentines, Uruguayans and Mexicans - most of them writers or professors - who are now living and working in the United States. The focal point of the cookout was an asado, an Argentine meat barbecue. South of the border such summer cookouts are as popular as American backyard barbecues. They are normally held on Sundays at midday, followed by a prolonged siesta. Some Latin barbecues - called pachamanca in Peru and barbacoa in Mexico - are lavish and complicated affairs in which ancient cooking methods are used.