June 19, 1982

President Reagan, in a major rebuff to West European allies, refused today to ease his ban on the sale of United States oil and gas equipment to the Soviet Union and instead extended the sanctions to foreign companies producing such equipment under American licenses. A Presidential statement released by the White House this afternoon attributed the decision to Mr. Reagan's desire ''to advance reconciliation in Poland'' by continuing economic pressure on the Soviet Union and Poland. Since the imposition of martial law, the statement read, ''little has changed concerning the situation in Poland; there has been no movement that would enable us to undertake positive reciprocal measures.'' The pipeline sanctions were first imposed last Dec. 30 solely on American companies in response to the imposition of martial law in Poland in mid-December. Their practical effect was to bar the General Electric Company, the Caterpillar Tractor Company and other major United States companies from selling equipment for the construction of a 3,700-mile pipeline from Siberia to West Germany that eventually might supply Germany, France, Italy and Spain with more than 30 percent of their natural gas.

John Cheever, whose poised, elegant prose established him as one of America's finest storytellers, died yesterday at his home in Ossining, N.Y. He was 70 years old and had been afflicted with cancer for several months. Long regarded by critics as a kind of American Chekhov, Mr. Cheever possessed the ability to find spiritual resonance in the seemingly inconsequential events of daily life. In four novels, ''The Wapshot Chronicle,'' ''The Wapshot Scandal,'' ''Bullet Park'' and ''Falconer,'' and more than 100 short stories, he chronicled both the delights and dissonances of contemporary life with beauty and compassion. Awarded Pulitzer Prize It was an achievement recognized by a Pulitzer Prize, a National Book Award, a National Book Critics Circle Award and the Edward MacDowell Medal. Last April he also received the National Medal for Literature, in recognition of his ''distinguished and continuing contribution to American letters.''

Governor Carey and state legislative leaders have reached agreement on 98 new judgeships to help deal with increasing case backlogs in New York State, aides to the Governor said today. Under legislation submitted by Mr. Carey, the new positions would be filled by 52 elected judges, 34 appointed by the Governor and 12 appointed by the Mayor of New York City. At least 37 would sit in the city. The accord follows more than a year of disagreement between the Governor and the Legislature over whether new judges should be elected or appointed. It represents the first major increase in the number of judges in the state since 1973, according to the Office of Court Administration.

Gen. David C. Jones, retiring as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed skepticism today about the Reagan Administration's policy of preparing for protracted nuclear war. He said financing the policy could lead to unending military expenditures. ''If you try to do everything to fight a protracted nuclear war, then you end up with the potential of a bottomless pit,'' said the General, who is leaving the Army after 40 years of service. General Jones also told reporters that fighting a global war against the Soviet Union in several places simultaneously would take a much larger military force than the Administration has planned.

A jury of seven women and five men today began deliberating whether John W. Hinckley Jr. was guilty of trying to kill President Reagan and three other men or whether he was not guilty by reason of insanity. After hearing impassioned oratory from the opposing lawyers and being instructed on the law by the judge, the jurors were given the case just before 4 P.M. and then deliberated for about three and a half hours before being dismissed for the night. They went off to dinner and a local hotel. They will be sequestered until a verdict has been reached. ''The time has come for John Hinckley Jr. for the first time in his life to take responsibility for what he's done,'' asserted Roger M. Adelman, his voice rising to a shout, in the second day of closing arguments.