Conant to Leave For German Post By Air This P.M.

President, now also High Commissioner, Conant, spent his last day in Cambridge yesterday packing; then left at 10 p.m. (above) for New York from which his will fly to Frankfurt, Germany late this afternoon. Mrs. Conant will follow him Thursday.

Conant had been here on a one-day stopover after his confirmation by the Senate Friday night. He was sworn in Saturday, spent the rest of the day conferring with Sate Department officials and flew to Cambridge at night.

In a statement to reporters after the swearing-in ceremony, Conant said that he entered upon his duties "with a sense of humility and a feeling of the heavy responsibilities that rest upon one who represents the President of the United States in the crucial period of history."

In another statement Conant admitted, for the first time, that he declined an offer of the German post by ex-President Truman about 18 months ago because he felt then that it would be a short-term appointment and he couldn't ask for leave of absence on those grounds.

Also this weekend, Massachusetts Senator Leverett Saltonstall explained why there were but ten senators on the floor Friday night to vote on Conant's confirmation.

This was "not unusual," he said, "in veiw of the fact that the report of the committee was unanimous and there was no opposition on the floor."

In reference to Senators Case and Dworshak who voted against confirmation, Saltonstall said, "There were a couple who didn't approve entirely, but didn't oppose." He explained that had those two demanded a quorum for the Friday night session, they could temporarily have blocked confirmation.