March 25, 1990

LEAD: Lithuanian officials refused today to comply with Moscow's demand to turn over hundreds of army deserters, declaring that they would not be intimidated by the Kremlin's theatrical early morning parade of tanks and military vehicles here in the Lithuanian capital.

LEAD: CHANCELLOR HELMUT KOHL customarily reaches his maximum heft at this time of year, just before his annual Eastertime course of weight reduction. A year ago, with public opinion polls tracking a precipitous plunge, the bulk seemed to be political dead weight. This year it looks like pure gold: Mr. Kohl stands at the peak of his career, and if things keep going his way, by this time next year he could be the first chancellor of a reunited Germany.

LEAD: HELPED by a state program of low-cost mortgages and a local subsidy on land costs, a condominium complex designed to resemble a 19th century farm village is taking shape in this suburb 20 minutes west of Boston.

LEAD: A consortium of nine firms formed by a leading engineering and consulting company is trying to attract capital and real estate development to help build a $2 billion privately owned high-speed rail system linking major Ohio cities.

LEAD: Criticized for years by some senior Government officials for not taking a more active role in the war on drugs, the Central Intelligence Agency seems to have abandoned its former reluctance.