February 9, 1984

Even while he was accusing his critics of advocating ''surrender'' in Lebanon in recent weeks, President Reagan had decided tentatively to pull American marines back from their airport compound in Beirut, Administration officials said today. The officials said Mr. Reagan set the pullback process in motion on Jan. 21 during a meeting with Donald Rumsfeld, the special Middle East envoy, and top national security aides. Five days later, the Joint Chiefs of Staff drafted a plan for shifting the marines. Mr. Reagan approved the force's removal in principle on Feb. 1, although he had second thoughts on Sunday because of the deteriorating situation in Lebanon. Not until Monday was President Amin Gemayel informed of Mr. Reagan's desire to remove the troops, the Administration officials said. Mr. Gemayel was said to have been given a package deal, in which the pullback would be accompanied by increased military aid and by a promise of increased naval and aerial attacks on his enemies. Administration officials said Mr. Reagan had decided to pull back the marines after determining that they had become too vulnerable to attack and were playing no useful military role in Lebanon.

A million-dollar program of the Transit Authority to fix doors, lights and loudspeakers in the subways fell far short of its goals this year, according to a study released yesterday. In some categories - providing adequate lighting and explanations of delays - service got worse, the study said. It was conducted by the Straphangers Campaign, a consumer advocacy group financed by grants and riders' contributions. ''Our study shows that while some progress is possible, all we have gotten so far is token change,'' said Gene Russianoff, a lawyer for the group. ''We think David Gunn, the new T.A. president, should take a good hard look at how the authority can spend that money and still not screw in enough light bulbs or let the riding public know what's going on.''

Almost 300 reserve buses helped provide near-normal service yesterday in New York City, a day after the entire fleet of Grumman Flxible buses was withdrawn for being unsafe, transit officials said. But they predicted serious difficulties for commuters in the weeks ahead. David L. Gunn, who took over as president of the Transit Authority last week, said there could be a continuing shortage of several hundred buses. Besides the loss of the 851 Grumman Flxible buses, many others that are operating are in need of repairs, he said. There may also be engine design problems in the General Motors RTS04 buses, he added, but did not elaborate. There are 1,685 of these buses in the city's fleet of about 4,000, according to transit officials.

The Druse leader threatened retaliation against American civilians in Lebanon if the Navy continued shelling Druse villages. Page A13. BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 8 - The United States battleship New Jersey bombarded Druse and Syrian gun batteries in Lebanon for more than nine hours today in the heaviest and most sustained American military action since the marines arrived here 16 months ago. The gunfire was directed at targets ''in Syrian-controlled Lebanon which have been firing on the city of Beirut,'' a Marine spokesman, Maj. Dennis Brooks, said. The shells fired into the capital had landed in Christian-dominated East Beirut, several miles from the Marine compound at Beirut International Airport.

The Federal Government, while preparing to tax the Social Security benefits of middle- and upper-income Americans for the first time next year, is offering stronger incentives for people to save for retirement on their own. Indeed, Congress and the Internal Revenue Service have significantly liberalized the rules governing both Individual Retirement Accounts and Keogh retirement plans for self-employed workers. A recent I.R.S. ruling gives taxpayers the opportunity to claim a deduction for a deposit to an I.R.A. or Keogh plan on their 1983 tax return even before they make the contribution. Previously, the contribution had to be made by the time the return was filed. Meanwhile, the limit on contributions to Keogh plans has been raised to 20 percent of earnings, or a maximum of $30,000 for the 1984 tax year. The amount one can deduct on 1983 tax returns remains the lesser of $15,000 or 15 percent of earnings.