The Nation : Verity Sworn In as Commerce Secretary

President Reagan, at a swearing-in ceremony for new Commerce Secretary C. William Verity Jr., said that the Commerce Department “must be ever vigilant in stopping this kind of harmful technology transfer to our adversaries.” Verity, 70, former chairman of Armco Steel Corp., has been criticized by conservatives for his advocacy of closer trading ties with the Soviet Union. In remarks following Reagan’s, Verity, who was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, agreed that he would enforce vigorously rules to “block transfer of militarily sensitive high technology,” particularly in trade with Eastern Europe. Verity succeeds Malcolm Baldrige, who died July 29 in a horseback-riding accident.