September 12, 1987

LEAD: In a waiting room at the American Embassy Thursday morning, Elena Tumaviciene leaned on her cane, a little disoriented by the throng around her but clutching firmly a valuable, once unobtainable document - a Soviet passport valid for foreign travel.

LEAD: Mets Lose a Tough One The St.Louis cardinals, one out away from defeat, rallied and beat the Mets, 6-4, in 10 innings. The first-place Cardinals now lead the Mets by two and a half games. Page 51. Not a Heffalump in Sight In which the original Winnie-the-Pooh finds a permanent home on public view in New York.

LEAD: The nation's trade deficit surged to a record $16.5 billion in July, another sharp setback to expectations that the huge, longstanding gap between imports and exports had at least stabilized.

LEAD: In a public encounter with American Jewish leaders, Pope John Paul II defended the conduct of Pope Pius XII today against assertions that he failed to publicly condemn the persecution and extermination of Jews by the Nazis.

LEAD: The Neil Kinnock commercial did not lead to electoral success last May in Britain, but the 10-minute spot of the Labor Party leader's passionate speeches, against a cool soundtrack of Brahms, raised his approval rating by 19 points and became an instant classic.