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