What was going on when I was born?

Under a new review of eligibility, 1,300 New Yorkers - 38 percent of the first group examined - are being notified that they will lose their Federal disability benefits. They are the first of thousands in the state who may lose their benefits, along with tens of thousands nationwide. The notices, which have just started going out, came as a surprise to most recipients, who had not even known that a review of their eligibility was under way. The review is part of a Federal economy drive begun under the Administration of President Jimmy Carter and accelerated by the Reagan Administration in March.

Labor dispute closes The Times of London A2 Tensions grow in Canada over constitutional issue A3 Zimbabwe's whites grow restless as privileg es erode A4 Around the World A5 Reagan ally in Senate urges joint Awacs control A7 Jamaicans get a bare glimpse of a new life A12 Government/Politics Relief official says Cuba would discuss taking refugees back A17 Sectional issue stressed in Jersey Governor race B2 Washington Talk Briefing A16 Calendar A16 Neoconservatives have uncertain alliance with Reagan camp A16 World's bankers gather in Capitol for a money bazaar A16 General Around the Nation A14 Jews mark start of Rosh ha- shanah tonight B2 Thousands attend Atlantic Antic festival in Brooklyn B3 Pennsylvania mental institution faces more legal problems B5 Education/Welfare N.Y.U.'s neighbors enjoy new sports building B3 Features/Notes Notes on People B5 Going Out Guide C15 PARKING REGULATIONS Alternate-side parking regulations will be suspended in New York City tomorrow and Wednesday because of the Jewish New Year. SportsMonday Auto Racing: Laffite wins Cana- dian Grand Prix C5 Baseball: Yankees defeat Ori- oles, 5-2 C3 Tigers defeat Brewers, 2-1, re- gain first place C4 Basketball: The New Jersey Nets look forward to a new era C1 Columns: George Vecsey on the ways of soccer C6 Dave Anderson on Walt Mi- chaels C7 Features: Sports World Specials C2 Football: Giants lose to Cowboys, 18-10 Jets defeat Oilers, 33-17, for first victory C1 Eagles beat Redskins, 36-13, stay undefeated C8 Browns hand Falcons first loss C9 Iowa team continues to surprise C11 Golf: Hatalsky, on 71-215, wins first professional event C6 Outdoors: Previewing the fall season C11 Running: Fifth Avenue Mile a tribute to runners C9 Soccer: Cosmo s face changes after loss in Soccer Bowl C7 Statistics C10 Tennis: Borg defeats Smid, 6-4, 6-3, in Geneva final C4 Arts/Entertainment Garrick Ohlsson plays Brahms C12 Gerard Schwarz opens ''Music Today'' series C13 ''Maggie & Pierre,'' a tale of Mar- garet Trudeau, is staged C14 Arts assembly is pessimistic on Federal financing C14 ''Reinhart's Women'' by Thomas Berger is reviewed C15 Twyla Tharp's new ''Uncle Edgar Dyed His Hair Red'' C15 ''Willie Stark,'' based on ''All the King's Men,'' on PBS C16 Mehta opens Philharmonic's sea- son with ''Jubilee'' C19 Style Relationships B4 Volunteer support for the emo- tionally troubled B4 Getting to be good friends, after divorce B4 Bilingual self-help by phone B4 Obituaries Harold J. Gallagher, former Wen- dell Willkie aide B6 Harold Johnson, helped to found Hampshire College B6 News Analysis Hedrick Smith on Salvadoran leader's visit A2 William E. Schmidt on Adminis- tration's water policy in West A15 Editorials/Letters/Op-Ed Editorials A18 On the track to Namibia Dumb defense of intelligence The joy of money A sacred cow cartel Letters A18 Anthony Lewis: a foreign policy fiasco A19 Flora Lewis: Mexico's future president A19 Roger Wilkins: black leaders and needs A19 Z. Michael Szaz: Somalia's diffi- culties A19 James C. Rosapepe: combating an oil cutoff A19

International Street battles in Teheran between Mujahedeen guerrillas who oppose Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and his revolutionary guards lasted seven hours. It was reportedly the most violent outburst by dissidents since the revolution. Some were armed with machines guns and rocketpropelled grenades. Injuries, but no deaths, were reported. The fighting appeared to be a culmination of the opposition by the Mujahedeen to the presidential election to be held Friday. About 1,000 supporters of the Mujahedeen have been executed by the Khomeini revolutionary Government since June. (Page A1, Column 6.) Iran, in a surprise attack, reportedly lifted the Iraqi siege of Iran's oil-refinery center in Abadan, killing or disabling more than 600 Iraqi troops and capturing 1,500 others, along with hundreds of tanks and troop carriers. The report was broadcast by the Teheran radio. Iraq reported heavy fighting in the Abadan area and said that the Iranians had been driven back with heavy losses. (A1:4-5.)

IT was early in the afternoon in a darkened New Jersey restaurant called The Seven Seas, and Maurice Lucas of the New Jersey Nets was trying to enjoy his meal. But after three straight mornings of workouts last week, about a month before the National Basketball Association season was to begin, the aches and pains made this a difficult task. ''Those first two days guys are crazy,'' Lucas said before gnashing his teeth and emiting a primitive growl. ''But after that third one.'' He moaned. His limbs were sore and the muscles in his back were a bit tight, too. But the salad in front of him had disappeared quickly and his flounder stuffed with crab was soon to follow. Despite the little pains, this was clearly a man at ease.

Whatever political satisfaction Poland's brush with revolution is bringing its people, in the economic sphere the dramatic events of the past year have only meant falling living standards and increased hardship so far. Fourteen months after the industrial strikes that gave birth to Poland's independent Solidarity trade union movement, the Polish economy is tottering on the brink of disaster. Over the past year, the production of industrial goods and food has dropped by about 15 percent, although wages have increased by almost 27 percent. In some key sectors, the fall in output has been much greater. Government statistics disclose a stunning 34 percent drop in meat production, for instance, while coal output is down 21 percent.

Solidarity leaders defended themselves today against bitter accusations from the union's rank and file that the leadership had exceeded its authority in compromising with the Goverment over the right of workers to run factories. More than two dozen of the 824 delegates at the union's national convention Output falls, shortages worsen and worker apathy spreads as Solidarity and the Government wrangle over Poland's problems. Page D1. in Gdansk rose to denounce the compromise, some in stinging terms. ''This union was not created to make compro mises, but to smash the totalitarian system in our country,'' Jan Rul ewski, a leading militant from Bydgoszcz, said.

The optimism over interest rates in the credit markets appears to have evaporated, with many analysts now believing that the move toward lower rates has come to an end. Analysts say that short-term rates, which have fallen more than two percentage points in the last month, may not dro p much further, if at all, be cause the Federal Reserve is not likely to pump money into the bank ing system at the rapid rate of the last three months. Long-term interest rates have increased to record levels, they add, and weak investor demand for bonds in the face of the Treasury's mounting borrowing needs points to higher yields in the future. ''The markets are facing up to t he fact tha t the Treasury needs to raise about $70 billion of new cash over the next six months,'' said William Griggs, senior vice president at the J. Henry Schroder Bank and Trust Company.

The Grumman Corporation, a leading manufacturer of military aircraft, and the largest private employer on Long Island, said yesterday that it had rejected a $450 million takeover offer made last week by the LTV Corporation. But LTV, a Dallas-based conglomerate that is also a major military contractor, said that it would continue its takeover attempt despite Grumman's opposition. ''Our directors, after examining the proposal by LTV, have rejected it with a surprising display of firmness and unanimity,'' said John C. Bierwirth, chairman and chief executive officer of Grumman, in a telephone interview. Mr. Bierwirth said that LTV's offer raised serious antitrust questions. ''Unless the nation's antitrust laws are a dead letter, this offer can not be allowed to be consummated,'' he said. ''It would also undermine the nation's defense capabilities.''

Credit market optimism over lower interest rates has given way to concern about a possible rebound in money costs. Analysts now think the recent two-point drop in short-term rates marks the end of their decline, while long-term rates could set new records as the Treasury is forced to enter a market lacking buyers. (Page D1.)

About 35 men in blue and gray business suits convened here last week in a spartan room at the United States Naval Research Center to gather the technical information about a new Coast Guard procurement program. They came from aerospace subsidiaries of companies like Goodyear and Westinghouse Electric, from the aerospace subsystems divisions of leading military contractors like Grumman and Northrup and from a slew of smaller concerns with expertise in the particular problem at hand. That problem, all but ignored for several decades, is how to build a blimp. The goal of the meeting was to make sure that all potential prime contractors for the Coast Guard program, which is to design a blimp with wide-ranging patrol, surveillance and rescue capabilities and then build and test a scaled-down model by 1985, have the information they need to get their bids in by Nov. 17.

Continuing to defy logic, the Jets scored the first victory of their bizarre season yesterday by trouncing the Houston Oilers, 33-17. The fans at Shea Stadium cheered wildly, as the Jets' defense, which had been poor, contained the punchless Oilers. For a team that had not won here since last Nov. 23 and had started the season with three consecutive losses, producing a victory was more important than the elegance with which it was achieved. There were ironies galore. And there was the same stoic face Coach Walt Michaels presented afterward, as he credited the work ethic - the same one that had not helped previously - with having brought the Jets to a 1-3 mark.

An article Sunday about a new commission to explore some questions about American actions toward the Holocaust incorrectly described one of its members, Dr. Martin Meyerson. He is former president of the University of Pennsylvania.