The New York Times reveals the secret bombing campaign of Cambodia which infuriates the White House and Henry Kissinger. This results in the FBI using electronic surveillance on members of the press.

Pat Buchanan suggests the SSS investigate the Ford Foundation and Brookings Institution for tax exemptions that favored the Democratic party.

President Richard Nixon approves the Huston Plan, but his attorney general cancels it five days later. The situation furthers the tensions between the White House and the FBI.

The White House taping system is activated and continues for nearly two and half years, ending on July 12, 1973.

The New York Times publishes the first of what become known as “The Pentagon Papers” detailing the US government’s involvement in Vietnam. An infuriated Henry Kissinger demands the leaker be found. This leads to Haldeman assigning Jack Caufield the task of investigating the source.

As Attorney General John Mitchell takes the New York Times to court to prevent any more of the Pentagon Papers from being published, the Washington Post, then a paper without a national presence, begins publishing additional pages from the Pentagon Papers.

After the Supreme Court rules in favor of the press’s right to publish the Pentagon Papers, a furious President Nixon asks Charles Colson to plug the leaks no matter what it takes.

After the Pentagon Papers release, Nixon demands someone break into the Brookings Institute to retrieve papers he believes are damaging to him. Charles Colson enlists Jack Caulfield to help with the planning. One option was firebombing the building and masquerading as firemen arriving to the scene to gain access. Caulfield approaches John Dean about it who in turn asks Ehrlichman to call it off.

Not trusting J Edgar Hoover and the FBI to investigate leaks, Ehrlichman taps a White House aide named Egil “Bud” Krogh, Jr to lead a new investigative team charged with learning who was behind the leak of the Pentagon Papers. He would be joined by David Young, a young advisor of Kissinger, as well as E. Howard Hunt. This group would collectively be known by another name – The Plumbers. Their secretary is named Kathy Chenhow whose home would serve as a mailing address for any bills connected to the group.

G. Gordon Liddy joins The Plumbers.

Nixon demands that government employees take polygraph tests about the leaks of the Pentagon Papers. Hoover sends Mark Felt to assist them.

Ehrlichman approves a covert operation to obtain files on Daniel Ellsberg, the source of the Pentagon Papers, from his psychiatrist Lewis Fielding under the assurance that nothing is traceable back to the White House.

Hunt and Liddy fly to California to begin surveilling Lewis Fielding, Ellsberg’s psychiatrist.

Ehrlichman writes to Colson regarding the Hunt/Liddy Special Project #1 saying he’d like to see a game plan the next week.

Krogh tells Hunt and Liddy they have approval for the burglary of Fielding’s office. Hunt has already recruited Bernard Barker and Eugenio Martinez to join them. Both of them previously worked with Hunt during his work with the CIA and the Bay of Pigs ten years earlier.

Nixon confirms his decision from the previous summer to give the wire tap logs from the fallout of the Cambodia bombing to Ehrlichman.

Liddy submits a memo suggesting the change of leadership at the FBI should take place sooner rather than later. Nixon is impressed by the memo.

Segretti contacts Shipley for the last time after Shipley continues to ignore Segretti’s invitations.

Liddy becomes general counsel at the Committee to Re-Elect the President. His new role allows him to continue to work on intelligence gathering as well as partner with Dean on the Political Enemies Project. With Krogh and Liddy gone, the Plumbers end their brief existence.