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The idea that John Lennon could be subversive is a question that is beackoned to be answered in light of the FBI's and the Nixon administration's focus on him. First of all, is there any legitamacy to such claims? Considering that the Nixon administration was crumbling under the weight of the Vietnam War, and that John Lennon was candid about his opposition to the war effort, it is no surprise that someone as vocal as John would be sought after. It all began in February 1966, when John was being interviewed by a close friend, Maureen Cleave, for the Londen Evening Standard. John was quoted as saying, "Christianity will go, it will vanish and shrink. I need't argue about that, I am right and will be proved right. We are more popular than Jesus Christ now. I don't know which will go first, Rock 'n' Roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right, but his disciples were thick and ordinary. Its them twisting it that ruined it for me." These comments were virtually ignored by the British public. However in July of that same year, when it was published in the U.S. in the teen age magazine Datebook, it caused a furor amongst the Christian population. Banning of Beatles records and burnings of Beatles paraphanalia was rampant throughout the "Bible Belt".
By the time that the Beatles arrived in Chicago on August 12, 1966, a tired nervous Lennon made a half-hearted apology to the American public. The apology made by Lennon states, "I suppose if I had said that television was more popular than Jesus, I would have got away with it. I am sorry I opened my mouth. I am not anti-God, anti-Christ or anti-religion. I was not knocking it. I was not saying we are greater or better." But that did not stop the KKK from holding a demonstration in Memphis Tenessee, or the continued backlash against Lennon. On October 18, 1968, soon after the backlash against John and Yoko's first album together, Two Virgins(which depicted the couple nude on the album cover), John and Yoko were arrested while staying at Ringo's Londen apartment. The Scotland Yard Drugs Squad, led by detective-sergeant, Norman Pilcher rated the flat with large police dogs, and "found" a large quantity of hashish. To protect his pregnant wife, Yoko, John plead guilty to the charges and was fined approximately $500. It was based on these two instances that the FBI started their formal investigation in 1971, after John Lennon tried to make New York City his home. Upon Lennon's arrival in the United States, he shared the stage with the infamous "Chicago Seven", Jerry Rubin, Dave Dellinger, Bobby Seale, and Rennie Davis calling for the release of John Sinclair, the Michigan activist from prison. John Lennon wrote a song especially for the occassion called, "John Sinclair", and was played in front of 15,000 people at Ann Arbor's Crisler Arena. This event became the first of several political activities for Lennon. Eventually Lennon wanted to attend the 1972 Democratic National Convention to protest the Nixon administration and the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The picture below is from an anti-war demonstration in Central Park, in New York City.
The only way the FBI could hurt Lennon, was to work closely with the Department of Immigration and not grant him citizen status. Ultimately Lennon became more reserved and refused to be seen as a vocal instrument for the more radical elements of the left wing political agenda. After five years of investigation and 26 pounds of FBI files, Lennon was granted his green card. Even at present, most of the files remain closed to the public and therefore many details are relegated to the dust-bins of obscurity. For more detail about the FBI and the role they played in Lennon's life, take a look at the book, Come together: John Lennon in his time. |
