CLEVELAND, Ohio--In the end, the experts on both sides of the great debate agreed, nobody won by a knock-out.

But depending on which side of the public Music Hall they sat on and whether they worked for Jimmy Carter or Ronald Reagan, they argued that one candidate or the other had won the debate on points.

In a 90-minute confrontation covering everything from what Amy Carter thinks of nuclear weapons to what Ronald Reagan once said about Medicare, the two candidates took careful aim at each other and traded large stacks of statistics, facts, and even generalities.

Dirty Tricks

Carter stressed the issue of nuclear arms control, implying that Reagan in the White House would be both "dangerous and disturbing." Reagan criticized Carter's record on the economy and called for a "crusade to get the government off the backs of the people." Along the way, each dodged issues he didn't care to answer and drew some laughs from the 700 who gathered inside the Music Hall.

For the most part, Carter defined the issues of the debate--questions like the Equal Rights Amendment--but Reagan advisers felt their candidate defended his record admirably and showed himself to be a "warm and compassionate man."

Looking rather small in the shadows of the giant gold-inlaid columns and panels of the hall, the two candidates traded some sharp words but never got going and only occasionally got personal.

There were things that the more than 90 million people who tuned in to watch didn't see--like the two candidates emerging on stage at exactly the same moment but Reagan taking the initiative both before and after the debate to shake hands with his opponent.

Carter remained stony-faced during most of Reagan's speeches, interrupting his impassive stares only twice with laughter. Reagan seemed more relaxed to most observers, laughing on at least four occasions and smiling broadly when he thought he had cornered the president on some broken promise or distortion.

With Republican dignitaries like George Bush and Sen. John G. Tower (R-Tex.) looking on, Reagan found room for some rhetoric among his non-stop attempt to defend his record and correct what he called Carter's distortions.

While his wife Rosalynn and key aides nodded their heads as he answered questions, the president spent the balance of his time outlining what he called the "sharp and stark differences" that separate his positions from Reagan's.

Emphasizing the decisions involving the control of nuclear weapons--which Carter repeatedly pointed to as the single most important issue in the campaign, the president stressed his record in "extending peace to other countries."

"There are no simple answers to complex questions," Carter said, pointing to the heavy burdens of the Oval Office and the need for a president to make decisions on his own.

Both candidates argued that peace can only be achieved through strength but differed somewhat in outlining their approaches to obtaining power.

Carter ridiculed Reagan for wanting to "throw the SALT II treaty in the waste basket" and defended his administration's record of working for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament while maintaining a strong defense.