Ussr Revolts

President Bush appealed to Moscow on Thursday to minimize the danger that the turmoil in the Soviet Union might leave its nuclear weapons in unstable hands, saying that he wants the Soviets to ensure that the safety of their atomic arsenal is "totally guaranteed." "The last thing the world needs is a nuclear scare," Bush said.

A nervous calm pervaded world stock and commodities markets on Tuesday and in early trading today as investors worried that the financial fallout from events in the Soviet Union is far from over. Tuesday's muted market action resembled the stillness in the eye of a hurricane. Neither the length of the lull--nor the direction that markets will take once traders start to move them again--can be predicted, they said. U.S.

When Mikhail S. Gorbachev was ousted, so were some of the achievements that blossomed under perestroika. Among them: Union Treaty: Gorbachev was to officiate at the treaty's signing, scheduled to begin Tuesday. His treaty would have kept the federation together while granting greater autonomy to the republics. These republics were to be given greater powers in the national legislature, military matters, foreign affairs, natural resources and the administration of energy resources.

A bent old woman stood motionless Tuesday in a store on Sretenka Street, staring at a grimy metal cooking oil dispenser that towered over her. When two younger women approached and asked, in the negative manner customary to Soviet shoppers, "No oil?" her only response was to shake her shawl-wrapped head. As the women walked away, they wondered aloud, "What are we going to do?"

Striding toward the Russian Federation government headquarters Tuesday in their orthopedic shoes and heavy sweaters, the two grandmothers declared that they were determined to save Russia from the clutches of "the scum" who have seized power. "If you gave the two of us, 72-year-olds, machine guns, we'd shoot them all," said one of the women, who identified herself only as Anna. "It's terrible, what's happening," said Alexandra, her companion, tears filling her wrinkle-framed eyes.

Less than 48 hours after the coup against Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, senior U.S. officials have advised President Bush that the Soviet hard-liners probably cannot sustain their grip on power and their rule is likely to unravel as a result of internal friction, public opposition and an inability to solve the country's desperate economic problems. Some ranking Administration officials said Tuesday that an attempt could be made soon to seize Boris N.

As did the Persian Gulf War, the ouster of Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev drew viewers to television news in larger than usual numbers. According to overnight A. C. Nielsen Co. figures from 26 major cities representing about half of the country's homes with TV sets, Monday's three major networks' nightly newscasts were watched by about 28% more people than the previous Monday.

Despite the massive political upheaval this week in the Soviet Union, the appearances of two Soviet orchestras scheduled to perform in Orange County do not seem to be in jeopardy, according to New York representatives of the groups and the Orange County Philharmonic Society, which is sponsoring their performances. The Moscow Virtuosi, scheduled for Oct.