May 23, 1983

The Japanese have been dissuaded from bringing mopeds and golf carts. President Francois Mitterrand of France, as requested, will be served no cream sauces and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Britain will be given an extra bedroom for her security detail, instead of the dressing room that was offered. Dignified, purposeful Colonial Williamsburg - a museum, one is reminded, not a theme park in red brick and clapboard - is approaching its role as host to the ninth annual economic summit conference of industrialized countries next weekend with poorly disguised excitement and a touch of awe. Dozens of monarchs, presidents, princes and princesses have visited the restored colony over the years, but this occasion is clearly special. ''We've never done anything quite this large,'' said Bruce P. Hearn, general manager of the Williamsburg Inn, which will house all seven leaders in 19th century Regency and 18th century Colonial style. Also at the inn will be Gaston Thorn, president of the executive commission of the European Economic Community.

WHEN the time comes, and there is no one in the household who doubts it will, Jeff Kunkel can think of it as a return trip to the major leagues. He was a young boy the first time a baseball brat - and American League ball parks were his summer playground. Whether it was in New York, Baltimore, Boston or Anaheim, his pockets would be lined with change for frequent trips to the concession stands and he felt as if all the empty seats were reserved for him. ''I remember umpiring at home plate in Yankee Stadium one day and turning around to look in the stands behind me to see what Jeff was doing,'' said Bill Kunkel, Jeff's father and one of the most respected umpires in the major leagues. ''Jeff wasn't there. I looked around and finally spotted him sitting in the upper deck near the foul pole. There wasn't anybody else around. He had just wandered up.'' At an early age, Jeff Kunkel and his younger brother, Kevin, met the stars and visited the locker rooms. The door to the big leagues was opened for them by Bill Kunkel, a marginal pitcher who spent three seasons in the majors with Kansas City and the Yankees before becoming an umpire. He gave his sons a glimpse of a life they would grow up wanting to be their own.

The Director of Central Intelligence and another senior Administration official have predicted that Americansupported Nicaraguan rebels have a good chance of overthrowing the Sandinist Government by the end of the year, Administration and Congressional officials said today. Members of Congress said that the predictions were made by William J. Casey, the C.I.A. director, and Thomas O. Enders, Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs. The Congressmen said the predictions seemed to undercut the Administration's longstanding assertion that American support for the rebel groups was primarily for the purpose of stopping arms shipments to guerrillas in El Salvador. The Administration asserts the arms flow through Nicaragua.

Owners of oil tankers that operate solely between ports in the United States have begun a campaign against an Administration proposal that would increase the number and size of tankers eligible to compete in the domestic market, especially in the $1.3 billion a year Alaska oil trade. The proposal would strike down existing rules that prohibit tankers built with Federal subsidies from engaging in domestic trade and would allow a company that repays the subsidy to operate the vessel wherever it wished. Only companies operating unsubsidized ships are now allowed to compete in trade between United States ports, while the subsidized ships, with some exceptions, must engage exclusively in foreign trade. The subsidy program, designed to offset the higher costs of building vessels in the United States, was begun in 1936, although the Reagan Administration has never requested money for construction of new ships and wants to discontinue the program.

Among the capacity crowd of 18,482 at the Spectrum here today was a group of fans dressed in the biblical garb of Moses, staff and all - a tribute to the Philadelphia 76ers' center Moses Malone. And near the end of the 113-107 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, in the opening game of the National Basketball Association championship series, a makeshift banner appeared in the stands. ''Moses Parts the Lakers,'' it said. The banner exaggerated only slightly. Malone scored 27 points, had 18 rebounds and won his battle with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, whom Malone called ''the best offensive center in basketball.'' In the second half, Abdul-Jabbar, who finished with 20 points and 4 rebounds, did not get a single rebound.