October 15, 1983

President Reagan was said today to have encountered disagreement among his senior foreign policy advisers over who should succeed William P. Clark as the White House national security adviser. After having lunch with Secretary of State George P. Shultz and discussing the Middle East and other matters with his top foreign policy aides, Mr. Reagan left late this afternoon for a weekend at Camp David, Md., without announcing a successor to Mr. Clark. The problem was said to be that at least two Cabinet members had objected to the selection of Mr. Clark's deputy, Robert C. McFarlane, while conservatives were pressing for the appointment of Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, now the chief United States delegate to the United Nations. 'Lifetime History of Interest' Mr. Reagan, stunning officials throughout his Administration, said Thursday evening that he would nominate Mr. Clark as Secretary of the Interior, replacing James G. Watt. Mr. Watt resigned Sunday amid growing support in the Senate for a resolution urging his ouster. Larry Speakes, the White House spokesman, took pains to defend Mr. Reagan's choice of Mr. Clark for the Interior job, amid charges by some environmental groups that he lacked experience. Mr. Speakes said, for example, that Mr. Clark had ''a lifetime history of interest in environmental issues.'' (Page 9.)

Jenna, a cousin of a foreign worker in Saudi Arabia, says she does not know how old she is, or exactly how long ago she came to this country from Pakistan. She does know that she has borne nine children, all of whom died. This year - ''Thanks be to God,'' she said - she had a son, whom she proudly displayed. Jenna, 15 other adults in her extended family and their 27 children live in the heart of Jidda in a makeshift concrete shelter with a sand floor and a tin and cardboard roof.

The Exxon Corporation, which has been dumping polluted sea water into the Hudson River and taking fresh water from the river to a refinery in Aruba, was accused yesterday of not getting two permits necessary for the operation. When the matter came to light last week, the state said it was uncertain whether any laws had been broken, and Exxon continued to maintain yesterday that it had complied with all regulations. But John Moore, a spokesman for the state's Department of Environmental Conservation, said the company needed both a state pollution-discharge elimination system permit for the discharges and a water supply permit for its takings.

The nation's industrial production surged 1.5 percent last month, strong evidence that economic expansion has remained vigorous despite high interest rates. The Federal Reserve Board, reporting the September advance today, also made hefty upward revisions in its production figures for July and August. Strong increases were also reported for inventories today and for retail sales on Wednesday. Officials said that, in light of all these figures, they expected an increase in next week's estimate of third-quarter growth in the gross national product. The early projection, of 7 percent on an annual basis, was issued a month ago.

News Analysis WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 - By naming William P. Clark as Secretary of the Interior, President Reagan has seemed to underscore that Mr. Clark was dispensable as the White House's national security adviser, but is indispensable to him as a political troubleshooter. Twenty-four hours after the surprise announcement that Mr. Clark was being named to replace James G. Watt, the prevailing opinion in Washington appeared to be that the President had made this decision for reasons having little to do with foreign policy and much to do with Mr. Clark. The former national security adviser was reported to have wanted to be relieved of duty in the White House Situation Room, where his grasp of the intricacies of foreign policy was weak. And his personal chemistry with Mr. Reagan made it attractive for the President to choose him as Mr. Watt's replacement.