November 10, 1982

''To be very blunt, we now see that unless there is dramatic action, the United States will experience an unprecedented series of deficits during the years ahead.

Rising partisan rivalry in the South, an increased black vote and polarization over unemployment stimulated the relatively high turnout in last Tuesday's voting, reversing a 20-year national trend of declining voter participation in midterm elections, according to voting specialists. Curtis B. Gans, director of the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate, said that although many had expected referendums on the nuclear freeze question in nine states to increase voter interest, there was little evidence that this or any other referendum items had raised voter turnout beyond the overall national pattern. Mr. Gans, whose group is private and nonpartisan, said that over all, the turnout had risen since 1978 in twice as many states as it had declined and that the same proportion had shown up in states where the nuclear freeze issue was on the ballot. The turnout was up in six of those states and down in three. ''Turnout was up because the Democratic base vote had been activated as I haven't seen it activated in 18 years,'' said Vince Breglio, director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. ''We knew the electorate was polarized. The Democrats were activated and that polarization hurt us in places where the Democratic registration is heavy.''

The U.S. and its allies have all but agreed on a trade policy that will allow the removal of sanctions against companies involved in the Soviet pipeline, according to Administration officials. They said France wants publicity about the agreement held to a minimum so it does not appear to have made any concessions. (Page A1.) Four overseas officials of Pepsico were apparently getting performance-related bonuses before they were dismissed for overstating sales and profits. The company, which will not seek to recover the money, said it had found no indication that the managers' misrepresentations were meant for their personal gain. (D1.)

Representative Dan Rostenkowski, the chief tax writer in the House, declared today that Congress must raise the Federal gasoline tax next year by 5 cents a gallon to pay for ''the massive reparation of the nation's bridges and roads.'' The tax now is 4 cents a gallon. The Illinois Democrat also challenged President Reagan to cut his military budget, which the President has vowed not to do. ''The real choice facing the Reagan White House is between big defense cuts and big tax increases,'' Mr. Rostenkowski asserted.

International A way toward revoking the sanctions imposed by President Reagan on companies that take part in construction of the Soviet natural gas pipeline has been devised, according to Washington officials. They said the Administration would be able to end the sanctions under a new policy for East-West economic relations virtually agreed upon by the United States and its European allies. (Page A1, Col. 6.) The American envoy to El Salvador has been ordered to refrain from making public criticism of human rights abuses by Salvadoran security forces, according to Reagan Administration officials. The Ambassador, Deane R. Hinton, had assailed the Salvadoran legal system and acts of violence by right-wing extremists. (A1:4-5.)