THE
ichigan Daily
Vol. LXXXIV, No. 53-S
Ann Arbor, Michigan-Thursday, August 1, 1974
Ten Cents
Twelve Pages
Erichnman
sentencer
2 L.th
toy year
WASHINGTON (P)-John Ehrlichman,
once President Nixon's right hand man
for domestic affairs, drew a minimum
20 months imprisonment in the plumbers
case yesterday for his part ,in what the
court called a "sordid episode in the
history of our country."
U.S. District Judge Gerhard Gesell
ordered only probation for two Cuban
refugee members of the White House
spy team. Gesell said the Cubans had
been duped into an operation as bad
as they had fought in their homeland.
EHRLICHMAN drew three concurrent
sentences of 20 months to five years on
each of his convictions of authorizing
the break-in at the office of Dr. Lewis
Fielding, Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist,
and two counts of perjury before Water-
gate grand juries.
Although not the stiffest sentences
handed out in the Watergate cases,
Ehrlichman's penalty was the most se-
vere meted so far to any high official
of the Nixon administration. He remains
free without bond pending appeal.
G. Gordon Liddy, already under 20-
year sentence in the Watergate break-
in, drew another 1 to S years concurrent
to his present term. He was convicted
as a leader of the Fielding break-in
operation.
BERNARD BARKER a n d Eugenio
Martinez, convicted Watergate burglars
who admitted breaking into Fielding's
office on a White House mission, were
given three years probation after Gesell
said they had suffered enough.
All four men were convicted by a
jury in U.S. District Court here July 12
after a two-week trial. All are appeal-
ing.
"YOU'RE A lawyer," Gesell told Ehr-
lichman, "and among the defendants you
held the highest position of public trust
in our government and the major re-
sponsibility for this shameful episode in
the history of our country.
"The Constitution was ignored, the
rights of citizens were abused, the Ells-
berg federal prosecution was tainted and
had to be dismissed, falsehoods and
concealments were employed to thwart
lawful inquiry into this abuse. The jury
has found all of this occurred with your
approval and active participation."
Just b e f o r e sentencing, Ehrlichman
told Gesell in a subdued quavering voice
he was "innocent of each and every one
of the charges in this case."
Gesell said he felt Barker and Mar-
tinez had been lured into the operation
"without giving the matter adequate
thought."
Nonetheless, Gesell said, the two had
"contributed to illegal activity by our
government which in many ways was
typical of the very regime which you
so courageously and strenuously opposed
in Cuba.
"IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to preserve free-
dom anywhere when zealots take over
role of law is ignored," the
judge said.
Barker and Martinez are both veterans
of the Cuban Bay of Pigs invasion, vet-
eran operatives of the Central Intelli- Harold Nelson, former head of Associated Milk Producers Inc.,
gence Agency and said they thought the District Court in Washington yesterday after pleading guilty toc
Fielding and Watergate break-ins were bribe John Connally for helping get government milk price suppor
legal since they were recruited by their in 1971. Nelson admitted authorizing a $10,000 payment to Connally
old CIA contacts. producers in 1971.
See EHRLICHMAN, Page 10
Dairy manager pleads
guilty in onnal cas
WASHINGTON (A) - The former head AS PART OF the guilty plea, Nelson as head of the milk prod
of the nation's largest milk producers promised to cooperate with Watergate tive include:
co-operative, Harold Nelson, pleaded prosecutors and to appear as a witness -$63,500 to the Democt
guilty yesterday to participating in a at trial. a "Salute to the Vice Pre
conspiracy to bribe John Connally. The prosecutors now appear to have during Hubert Humphrey
Connally, a former governor of Texas three witnesses who will testify about the dential campaign;
and treasury secretary during President $10,000. -$38,000 to support]
Nixon's first term, was indicted on Mon- Lilly, who received immunity from others who were not nam
day for allegedly accepting a $10,000 prosecution last November, already has 1968 elections;
bribe from the milk producers. He said testified that Jacobson asked him for -4100,000 to reimburse
he is innocent and will fight the charges. the money to give to Connally after the tive's political arm for n
former treasury secretary helped get Herbert Kalmbach, the Pt
NELSON, former general manager of price supports raised in March 1971. fund-raiser in 1969;
Associated Milk Producers, Inc., said Lilly quoted Jacobson as saying, "The -$23,950 to Humphrey,
the conspiracy .also includes donation of man wants his money." race;
more than $300,000 in corporate money -$10,000 to the 1970 ca
both to Democrats and Republicans in LILLY ALSO testified that Nelson au- mer Rep. Page Belcher, {
federal elections of 1968, 1969 and 1972. thorized him to give the money to Jacob- -45,000 to the 1970 Sena
He admitted conspiring with two others son. Until yesterday, Nelson had never Phillip Hoff, (D-Vermont)
to bribe Connally in return for his help admitted giving such authorization. -$8,400 to the 1970 Sena
in persuading President Nixon to raise - Jacobson once swore that Connally Edmund Muskie (D-Main
federal milk price supports in 1971. refused to take the $10,000, but informed -482,000 to buy compute
Specifically, Nelson said he authoriz- sources said he recently agreed to plead various Democratic camj
ed lobbyist Bob Lilly to give $10,000 to guilty to a single bribery count and to The sum included $25,C
Jake Jacobson to.pass on to Connally. testify against Connally in return for phrey's presidential prim
Jacobson, a lawyer who then worked for favorable treatment. $7,000 for the Senate came
the milk producers, had been a White Abourezk (D-S.D.) and $5
House aide to President Lyndon John- THE ILLEGAL corporate donations ous unnamed Democrats
son and was a friend of Connally. that Nelson admitted he had authorized See DAIRY, Pa
AP Photo
leaves U.S.
conspiring to
rts increased
by the milk
M
ucers coopera-
ratic party for
sident Dinner"
y's 1968 presi-
Hmphrey and
ed, during the
the coopera-
noney given to
resident's chief
's 1970 Senate
mpaign of for-
(R-Okla.);
te campaign of
te campaign of
e); and
er-mail lists for
paigns in 1972.
00 for Hum-
ary campaign,
paign of James
50,000 for vari-
in Iowa.
ge 10