February 19, 1987

LEAD: Over the next few weeks, millions of Americans will see the fruits of their year-end maneuverings to take full advantage of the transition from the old tax system to the new one. But for some, the savings may be less than expected.

LEAD: On July 19, 1983, in Oakland, Calif., someone broke into the office of the Guatemala News and Information Bureau, a center for research on human rights and other issues in Guatemala. The burglar smashed a window to gain entry, rummaged through a filing cabinet and drawers and scattered papers. No valuables other than petty cash were taken.

LEAD: Robert M. Gates appeared today to be headed for Senate confirmation as Director of Central Intelligence after more than nine hours of hearings that underscored the depth of Congressional unhappiness with the Reagan Administration's Iran dealings.

LEAD: Treasury Secretary James A. Baker 3d is likely to meet with the top economic policy officials of the other leading industrial nations on Saturday and Sunday in Paris, according to reports from Tokyo and from European officials here.

LEAD: Freedom Newspapers Inc., the nation's 14th-largest chain by circulation, was born of dissension. R. C. Hoiles, a scrappy newsman from Ohio, founded Freedom in the early 1930's, a few years after a quarrel with a brother led him to break up their small newspaper partnership and strike out on his own.