What was going on when I was born?

The State Department has outlined a need for a strong human rights policy in foreign affairs after a period of inaction on the matter. In a memorandum, which Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. has approved as the basis for a human rights policy, the State Department says that the United States cannot hope to offer a credible alternative to either the Soviet example or what it sees as a rising tide of neutralism unless it takes a strong position on political freedom and civil rights. This policy approach implies evenhanded criticism of rights violations in all nations, according to the memorandum, including those countries friendly to the United States. It was not known whether the State Department memorandum, dated Oct. 27, had been reviewed by the White House, which must approve policy statements. The extent to which the policy outline could be translated into action depends on White House support. The memorandum was linked, however, to the appointment of an Assistant Secretary for Human Rights. That appointment was made by the President on Oct. 30.

The nation's Big Three auto makers said today that sales of new cars fell 19.7 percent in the last 10 days of October and 27.2 percent for the month, to the lowest October selling rate since 1958, despite rebates and other incentive programs. October has traditionally been the time for new-model introduction and as such is usually one of the best selling months in the year. This year, however, with few exceptions, the major new model introductions have been delayed until early 1982, helping to depress sales in comparison with October of last year. Chrysler Made Best Showing Chrysler made the best showing in the final 10 days of last month, with sales off only 1 percent. General Motors reported the biggest decline, a drop of 23.8 percent, while Ford sales were down 15 percent.

A consensus has developed in the Reagan Administration that the civil war in El Salvador has reached a stalemate that will eventually cause the defeat of the Government unless the United States takes decisive action soon, according to key Administration officials. The officials said that Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. has been pressing the Pentagon to examine a series of options for possible military action in El Salvador and against Cuba and Nicaragua. The Administration has accused those two countries of being conduits of aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador. Most of the officials said that the procedure was more than simple contingency planning, given the short deadlines for producing the plans and the general feeling that something must be done to prevent the collapse of the Salvadoran Government of President Jose Napoleon Duarte. Pentagon Expresses Disapproval The officials said that the Department of Defense opposed use of American forces in combat in Central America or the Caribbean. The position of Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger and his deputy, Frank C. Carlucci, and especially of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is described this way: Almost all of the possible military actions are not likely to be successful; it is highly doubtful that the American public and Congress would support military intervention, and the Soviet Union could respond against West Berlin or in the Persian Gulf without there being much of an American response.

It was completed in 1913, before most of the people who work in it today were born, and its $13.5 million cost was paid for, immediately, in cash. It has never had a mortgage, it has almost always been fully rented and it has never changed hands. The Woolworth Building is still owned by the F. W. Woolworth Company, and after 68 years the company's executive offices remain on the 24th floor, where Frank W. Woolworth's marble-lined corner office still functions. Such a serene history is unusual for any building, but for one of the 20th century's great works of architecture it is nothing short of startling. The Woolworth Building ranks with the Chrysler Building and the Empire State as one of New York's most beloved skyscrapers; it is older than its colleagues, however, and far more significant an event in the history of architecture.

THE scenario goes something like this: A furniture craftsman with little or no experience sees a piece of Shaker furniture in a museum or antique shop or perhaps even in a book. The simplicity of the design encourages him to try his hand at copying it. Whether the task turns out to be as simple as the style or not, he is hooked on Shaker. It seems that from Maine to Kentucky - in many of the same areas where the Shaker religious communities flourished in the 19th century and then died out because they required celibacy - independent craftsmen are busily, recreating Shaker designs for 20thcentury applications. Although most of the new pieces do not have the patina and evocative beauty of the originals, they do offer practical furniture alternatives.

In a trend that could help New York and other Northern cities become more competitive, the salaries and benefits of municipal workers in the Sun Belt have begun catching up with those of their Northern counterparts. That is a key finding of a survey of wages and benefits in 12 major cities. This trend, if continued, could reduce the tax advantage that booming Sun Belt cities have enjoyed, in part, because they pay their workers less. ''There is a definite trend toward narrowing of regional differences,'' said George E. Peterson, co-author of the study for the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research group. He said this trend was also visible in comparisons of private sector wage scales.

Mayor Koch is planning to appoint an advisory council on minority affairs to ''reach out'' to New York City's black and Hispanic residents. The Mayor's decision to set up such a council was disclosed by Representative Shirley Chisholm of Brooklyn in a telephone interview on the day after Mr. Koch won re-election to a second term. It was confirmed by a Koch spokesman. ''It's being worked out,'' said Tom Goldstein, the Mayor's press secretary.

''GREEK, Sir, is like lace. Every man gets as much of it as he can.'' What Greek was to Dr. Samuel Johnson, classicism and its derivatives are to the postmodern architects of today. They are the indispensable element, the mandatory attributes of which ''every man gets as much as he can.'' So I infer, at any rate, from the October issue of Progressive Architecture. This includes no fewer than 10 separate studies of classicism, past, present and future, together with an in-house introduction to the present state of the art.

'' 'Human rights' is not something we tack on to our foreign policy but is its very purpose: the defense and promotion of freedom in the world.'' -State Department memorandum. (A10:3.)

About a year ago, on the fifth floor of what was then a rundown humanities and science building on the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, two 22-year-old former R.P.I. research associates started a computer graphics company called Raster Technologies. Shortly thereafter, on the first floor, four former graduate students went into business building large ''point focusing'' solar collectors, founding a company called Power Kinetics Inc. A few classrooms remain in the R.P.I.'s Russell Sage Laboratory Annex - there are, after all, about 5,000 students at this school. But it is the entrepreneurs on campus, with eight such organizations at present, including Raster and Power Kinetics, that have lately been getting most of the attention.

Officials of New York's City Council said yesterday they had tentatively redrawn the disputed district lines. The new approach abandons the principle of protecting all incumbents in favor of lines that would give minority candidates a better chance of being elected in several districts. The newest versions of the lines could pit incumbents against each other in perhaps two districts in the Bronx and one in Brooklyn, the officials said. The likely result would be the defeat of some incumbents and the victory of new candidates in newly created districts.

Close Jersey election posed prob- lems for news organizations B11 Republicans win in Nassau and Suffolk Counties B16 Recount scheduled in Bridgeport mayoral race B16 Washington state voters approve curb on nuclear reactors B17 Robb in Virginia victory tied to blcak surport B18 International Shadow of dead leader lies over Trinidad election A2 Swedish Government denies it is retreating on sub issue A3 Heads of party, union and church meet in Poland A3 Around the World A5 King Hussein affirms Soviet arms deal A6 Indians boycott South African election A7 Israel closes university in West Bank after demonstrations A12 Government/Politics House panel cancels inquiry into cult deaths at Jonestown A18 Senators warn Reagan C.I.A. could be hurt by domestic role A19 Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway survives a close vote A20 House committee rejects plan for Social Security finances A21 Reagan defending his nominee to lead E.E.O.C. A22 Atlantic City prepares to set up new government B11 Virgin Islanders reject fourth draft of a constitution B19 Washington Talk Briefing A24 Agriculture conference sees re- sults of eyes in the sky A24 An inventor takes on the United States Army A24 Impromptu bill-writing per- formed in the Senate A24 Home Section Home Bringing Shaker-style furniture back to life C1 Problems turn up with solar houses C3 The Thai way in the metropolis: Temple to home C1 Design Notebook: Is the time right for classicism? Hers C2 Helpful Hardware C2 Home Beat C3 Home Improvement C4 Swedish glassware shines in his- torical exhibition C7 De la Renta: In top form for spring C8 Calendar of Events C11 Gardening C12 General Philadelphia woman responsible for virtually ending gang wars A14 Around the Nation A15 Prosecution opens case in "Free- way Killer" trial in California A16 Advertising agencies retreat from midtown rents B3 Abundant harvest in Corn Belt de- presses farmers' prices B19 Health/Science Shuttle's problem is a common one for motorists D21 Arts/Entertainment O'Riley, pianist, opens Young Artists Series at Y C16 "Rigoletto" at City Opera C17 Group for Contemporary Music offers familiar program C18 Mary Overlie choreographs ex- perimental "Adam and Eve" C19 George London honored with con- cert in capital C20 "The Last Burning," Irish play of witchcraft, is staged C20 Computers face the music at Texas conference C21 Beth Henley's "Crimes of the Heart" opens C21 Proposed buildings and their de- scriptions don't always jibe C22 Osborne's memoir, "A Better Class of Person," is reviewed C25 "Jessica Novak," a new CBS-TV series, begins tonight C27 Carrie Smith at Cookery C27 Rumors surround the film pre- views of "Reds" C28 Obituaries H.C. Westermann, sculptor of humorous assemblages D22 Sports Yankees acquire Griffey of Reds; Jackson stunned by deal D23 Dave Anderson on Mr. November D23 Nets lose to Loughrey's Hawks, 95-86 D23 Ranger lapses help Penguins win, 6-3 D23 Ailing Simms says he'll play D24 3 Stastnys cash in on 4 goals, 9 points D24 Todd attacks reporter, faces law- suit D24 Point-shaving witness tells of death threat D26 Harness races in Jersey under U.S. inquiry D27 Tammaro's hopes riding with Deputy Minister D27 U.S. riders take lead in Nations Cup jumping D27 News Analysis Adam Clymer on the national meaning of Tuesday's elections B18 Editorials/Letters/Op-Ed Editorials A26 What the election shows Since Budapest Cold males, neo-females Who cares for the mentally ill? Letters A26 Anthony Lewis: credible choice in Britain A27 William Safire: human rights vic- tory A27 Yoshihisa Komori: Japan and nu- clear weapons A27 Jack Kemp: a dollar as good as gold A27