What was going on when I was born?

PARKINSON'S By WALTER SULLIVAN SURGEONS in Stockholm plan soon to insert, in the brain of a patient suffering from Parkinson's disease, cells taken from that person's adrenal glands. Their hope is that this, the first known attempt to transplant tissue into a human brain, will counter the tremors and other symptoms of that disease. If successful, the method might be applicable to some other brain disorders, such as Huntington's chorea and damage due to strokes. Although the planned treatment for Parkinsonism is untested in humans, the procedure is the fruit of eight years of research and animal experiments by the Stockholm group and its collaborators at the National Institute of Mental Health in Washington, D.C., and at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. The Americans are not participating in the experiment on a human patient. The animal tests have shown the brain to be what the experimenters call a ''privileged site'' for transplants. This is because the brain typically does not reject transplants, unlike other parts of the body, where immune defenders destroy such intrusions.

The Secretary of the Navy said today that he had signed a statement supporting Richard V. Allen's contention that he had intended to surrender to the Government the $1,000 he received from a Japanese magazine. The Secretary, John F. Lehman Jr., said in a telephone interview that he was in Mr. Allen's office in the old Executive Office Building on either Jan. 21, the day Mr. Allen, the President's national security adviser, received the cash, or a day or two later. According to Mr. Lehman, a close friend of Mr. Allen, Mr. Allen expressed ''chagrin and amazement'' that the Japanese had handed him the cash. Conversation Recalled ''He said he had stuck it in a safe to turn it over to security,'' said Mr. Lehman, who took this to mean Government authorities. The Navy Secretary said he had provided a signed statement to Mr. Allen recalling their conversation of last January.

International A freeze on nuclear forces in Europe was suggested again by Leonid I. Brezhnev in a day of talks with Chancellor Helmut Schmidt in Bonn. The proposal has been rejected by NATO on the ground that it would freeze Soviet superiority in medium-range warheads. (Page A1, Column 3.) A mixed economy in China is in increasing prospect. Peking's two top policy-making bodies formally acknowledged a need for more private enterprise to alleviate chronic unemployment, and they proposed that new jobs be created increasingly by private businesses as well as by cooperative enterprises. (A1:1-2.)

When people think of computers, they often envision the latest in sophisticated technology. However, for many companies and government agencies that use computers, that is not always the case. Many computer users, in fact, are now saddled with outmoded computer programs that slow down the systems, constantly threaten to break down and are difficult and costly to maintain. Instead of working to expand the use of the computer to perform new corporate functions, many company data processing departments, which have neglected to replace computer programs as they aged, are now spending more than half their time and money merely trying to keep the existing programs running. ''It's like a road with potholes,'' said Thomas E. Bell, president of the Computer Technology Group, a consulting firm in Warren, N.J. ''It's easier to just put in patches. Eventually they become patches upon patches and the whole stability of the road is undermined.''

France, Britain, Italy and the Netherlands announced an agreement today to take part in a Sinai peacekeeping force after Israel completes its withdrawal next spring. The agreement was reached after weeks of negotiations that came close to breaking down at several points. The result was a complex series of statements worded so as to try to avoid condemnation by the Arab countries and an outright rejection from Israel. It was not clear whether the first objective would be met, and by this evening an Israeli statement had put the second in doubt.

Leonid I. Brezhnev, refashioning an offer previously rejected by the West, today proposed a freeze on the deployment of new medium-range nuclear forces in Europe pending talks with the United States on force reductions. The suggestion, made in talks this morning with Chancellor Helmut Schmidt of West Germany and repeated Excerpts from remarks, page A12. in a dinner speech, was described by Mr. Schmidt as unacceptable. His spokesman, Kurt Becker, said the Chancellor felt, as the Atlantic alliance has in the past, that a freeze would preserve what the West views as Soviet superiority and would not lead to the elimination of medium-range nuclear weapons from Europe.

It is perfectly clear what sort of candidate should run next year against Governor Carey -just ask leading New York Republicans. It should be a legislative leader who knows state government, says James L. Emery. A businessman with a conservative philosophy, says Lewis E. Lehrman. An official experienced at statewide campaigning, says Edward V. Regan. A politician with strength upstate and in New York City, says Richard M. Rosenbaum. If one looks carefully, all of the prescriptions for removing Mr. Carey from Albany are identical. Each is the political self-image of the man doing the prescribing. And Each One Has High Hopes Mr. Emery is the Assembly minority leader, Mr. Lehrman is a wealthy businessman, Mr. Regan is the State Comptroller and Mr. Rosenbaum is the former Republican state chairman. And they are among the Republicans lining up to run against the two-term Democratic Governor.

THE United States has been trying since 1976 to verify reports that chemical weapons, known popularly as ''the yellow rain,'' are being used against remote villages in Laos, Cambodia and, more recently, Afghanistan. In September, Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. announced the first ''physical evidence'' to buttress the charge. It was a sample of vegetation from Cambodia that contained three toxins produced by fungi. Two weeks ago the State Department announced three more pieces of physical evidence - a water sample from the same village in Cambodia plus rock scrapings from two locations in Laos. State Department officials called the samples a ''smoking gun,'' the first ''physical proof'' that chemical warfare is being waged in Southeast Asia, almost certainly under the control of the Soviet Union. They also said that detection of the toxins solved a long-standing mystery as to what chemical agent could cause the range of symptoms reported by victims of yellow rain attacks. The victims typically suffer from violent itching, vomiting, dizziness and distorted vision. Within a short time, many vomit blood and die, apparently of shock or blood loss.

Fez has key place in Moroccan culture and politics A2 Greek opposition defends tradi- tional ties with the West A3 Italians mark first anniversary of earthquake A4 Around the World A5 U.N. team undecided on chemical warfare in S.E. Asia A7 Pentagon creates a Caribbean command A8 Salvadoran parties begin cam- paigning A10 2 U.S. nuns missing in Guatemala A11 Excerpts from remarks by Brezh- nev and Schmidt A12 Government/Politics Witness testifies Margiotta re- ceived $5,000 payment. B2 Topless dancing in bars upheld by New York's highest court B4 Manhattan Democratic chief challenged for bolting party B6 City asks judge to validate Coun- cil's powers B8 Chief judge criticizes New York City courts on backlog B11 Budget impasse cuts some Gov- ernment operations B15 Legislative leaders and Carey aides meet on assessment B17 Washington Talk Required Reading B12 Briefing B12 Washington Update B12 General Former guard pleads not guilty in $1.85 million Brink's theft A15 Around the Nation A16 Librarians seek ways to deal with 'disturbed patrons' A16 Bronx man sentenced to seven years in prison in hijacking. B9 Obituaries Myra Kinch, dancer of satires B17 Ilya Bolotowsky, a neo-plasticist painter B17 Science Times Experts debate the evidence on 'yellow rain' C1 People for whom one true self is not enough C1 Education: New stature for agri- cultural colleges C1 The Doctor's World C2 Science Watch C3 About Education: Ethnic strife cools in San Francisco C4 Science Q&A C4 Arts/Entertainment Kay Weldon's ''After the Prize'' opens at Phoenix C7 John Carpenter, a maverick, under-budget film director C7 La Gran Scena Opera puts men in women's roles C7 The caricaturist Al Hirschfeld honored at fete C9 Maracaibo Symphony plays at Carnegie Hall C10 Show-business quartet invests in Astoria studios C10 A book critic offers a Christmas shopping list C11 City Ballet to honor Stravinsky next June C11 ABC and NBC to press affiliates for one-hour evening news C19 ''Small Killing,'' with Edward Asner, on CBS C19 ''Simon & Simon,'' a new ''action comedy'' on CBS C19 Style Notes on Fashion C5 Holiday dressing: Easy looks C5 A two-politician family C5 Sports All 5 defendants guilty in Boston College point-shaving case C13 Todd optimistic about playing against Colts C13 Giants' victory over Eagles is new No. 1 for Perkins C13 Dave Anderson on New York's pro football revival C13 Larry Bird's old school seeks to rebuild C13 Rangers still feel they can beat Is- landers C16 Guidry holding firm in Yankee talks C16 Henry Aaron on Hall of Fame bal- lot C16 Chiefs finally getting national television exposure C17 Features/Notes Going Out Guide C9 Notes on People C10 Sports People C17 News Analysis Hedrick Smith on the cost of Rea- gan's budget strategy B16 Editorials/Letters/Op-Ed Editorials A18 Self-inflicted questions The budget circus Chippendale and Billy Beer Fred M. Hechinger: voices Letters A18 Tom Wicker: a threatened har- vest A19 Sydney H. Schanberg: Mr. Pleas- ant regrets A19 Richard Critchfield: Africa's spe- cial farming problems A19 Cecil B. Currey: NATO's old plan- ning for nuclear warfare A19

The Sun Company announced today that it would sell the assets of its 65-year-old shipbuilding subsidiary to Levingston Shipbuilding Company, a privately held company that operates two shipyards in Texas and a marine engineering facility in Annapolis, Md. The subsidiary, Sun Ship Inc., has been one of the nation's major shipyards and the leading employer in Chester, Pa., near Philadelphia. Repairs to Be Continued The parent company had announced last January that it would phase out new vessel construction and sharply reduce the work force of 4,200 but would continue to repair ships and maintain other Sun Ship operations. The Sun Company, which signed a letter of intent with Levingston, did not disclose terms of the transaction. A Sun spokesman, Kurt VanVlandren, said the sale, which would be final by March 1982, is conditional upon reaching a definitive agreement, obtaining Government approval and renegotiating labor agreements with Sun Ship's labor unions.

'' I am returning to Congress without my signature House Joint Resolution 357, the continuing resolution providing appropriations for fiscal year 1982.'' - President Reagan (B15:4.)

The names of approximately 13,800 New York City parents who are delinquent in child support payments have been given to the Internal Revenue Service under a new program that allows the I.R.S. to turn over to the city any Federal income tax refunds due these parents. The city stands to collect as much as $27.6 million under the program, which starts with refunds that are made next year. However, city officials say they do not know how many of the people they have listed with the I.R.S. will get refunds. The program, which is nationwide, involves parents who have failed to make court-ordered child support payments to their estranged spouses and whose families are collecting public money from the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program.