November 28, 1992

Glenda Harry arrived at the A & S Plaza in Manhattan yesterday at 8:30 A.M. But she hadn't come to do her Christmas shopping; she came to sign up for a contest to win $1,000, sponsored by the mall's operator, the Simon Management Company. On the day after Thanksgiving, the busiest shopping day of the year, consumers thronged shopping areas from Herald Square in New York to State Street in Chicago to Union Square in San Francisco. Although many were just looking, strolling through stores, checking prices and searching for gift ideas and good deals, retailers were delighted and relieved by the turnout.

Just as Ross Perot managed to reshape the 1992 Presidential campaign merely by hovering around its edges, his shadow is now influencing the emerging strategy of the Clinton Administration. Mr. Perot is back in Texas, quiet for the moment, and the potential power of his backers, who are reorganizing themselves, is still uncertain. But aides to President-elect Bill Clinton are acutely aware that one in five voters chose Mr. Perot, whose backers have already warned that they intend to lobby the Clinton White House for their programs.

Venezuela Rebels Repulsed Rebellious units of Venezuela's Air Force, supported by leftist groups, tried to overthrow the Government but were repulsed by armed forces loyal to the President. Page 3. Personal Income Surges Americans' personal income grew at its fastest clip in 10 months during October, and consumer spending posted a healthy gain. Page 33. Japan to Store Plutonium The Japanese Government said it would be forced to store more than a ton of plutonium it will receive in a sea shipment from Europe. Page 3.

A Navy investigation has found that American sailors, awakened late at night, mistook a drill for an actual attack last month when their aircraft carrier fired two missiles at a Turkish destroyer. The Navy investigation faults senior commanders on the American carrier, the Saratoga, which fired two Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles, killing five Turkish sailors aboard the destroyer Muavenet and wounding 15, during a NATO exercise in the Aegean Sea on Oct. 1, according to military officials. Reprimands Are Expected They said the investigation found that the Saratoga's commanders decided to take advantage of the proximity of the NATO warships to rehearse the response to a simulated attack. But the awakened crew was left with the impression that they were under an actual attack and fired their missiles, the officials said.

This tiny fishing village on the Bering Sea offers most of the conveniences of modern American life. People here can get the Disney Channel on cable television, dial out on touch-tone phones, and rent "Wayne's World" at a local store. But the one technology they lack is creating one of the nation's most poignant public health problems.