Friday, June 23, 1972

• L. Patrick Gray, acting Director of the FBI, orders that the Watergate matter be given the highest priority.
• Haldeman sums up the Watergate situation for the President, and they discuss how to handle it. Haldeman says the FBI investigation will head into "the problem area" unless Gray gets them under control. He says Mitchell's suggestion is for them to contact CIA Deputy Director Walters and have him tell Gray to stay the "hell out of this, this, ah business here. We don't want you to go any further on it." Haldeman believes Gray will be receptive to the idea and will call in Mark Felt to handle it all. Nixon agrees and offers more strategy saying they should warn Walters that it could open "the whole Bay of Pigs thing again." (This conversation will later be considered "The Smoking Gun.")
• Haldeman tells Walters of the President's request for Walters to ask Gray to back down. Walters says he's already told Gray there is no CIA involvement, but agrees to do it going under the assuming that the Chief of Staff wouldn't be asking him to do something illegal.