Ogden R. Reid, former president and editor of the New York Herald Tribune, was sworn in this weekend as United States Ambassador to Israel. The Senate had confirmed his nomination to the post by voice vote, after a 10-4 vote in his favor by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Present at the swearing-in ceremony, in addition to Mr. Reid’s family, was Israel’s Charge d’Affaires here, Yaacov Herzog. Mr. Reid said he intends to leave for Israel soon, perhaps about July 1.
Most of the Senators who had opposed Mr. Reid’s nomination in committee were absent when the Upper House of Congress finally voted for confirmation late Thursday. However, Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, his principal opponent, spoke in opposition to Mr. Reid’s nomination on the floor of the Senate. A number of other Senators praised the nomination and the appointee before the vote was taken.
During the swearing-in ceremony, at the State Department, Undersecretary of State Robert Murphy told Mr. Reid: “We consider this mission of yours to the Middle East as one of our most important diplomatic missions. ” In response, Mr. Reid declared: “We approach the post humbly. We consider it an opportunity to serve the United States. ” He said he was eager to meet the Israeli people, whom he lauded for raising their standards of living and culture and for achieving progress in fields involving the peaceful uses of nuclear and solar energy.
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