John Lennon Can Stay in U.S. – Court Ends Government Deportation Effort
The federal government’s effort to deport famed rock star and former Beatle ended on this day when a New York State Supreme Court judge reversed his deportation order.
The U.S. government had tried for years to deport John Lennon, the famed former member of the Beatles, because of his political views, including mainly his opposition to the Vietnam War. The formal campaign began on March 23, 1973, when the government ordered him to leave the U.S. within 30 days.
As a member of the Beatles, Lennon is one of the greatest figures in the history of rock and roll, co-writing many classic recordings with Paul McCartney.
The government’s campaign against Lennon included intensive FBI spying on his activities (see Gimme Some Truth, below).
In 1977, Lennon was granted a “green card,” which allowed him to remain in the U.S. permanently. Tragically, he was assassinated in New York City in December 1980.
Read: Jon Wiener, Gimme Some Truth: The John Lennon FBI Files (1999)
See John Lennon and Yoko Ono on the Dick Cavett Show (about 28 minutes into the show):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31qVGN1gKOEHear John Lennon sing Imagine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLgYAHHkPFs
Read Lennon’s FBI file: http://vault.fbi.gov/john-winston-lennon
Learn more at the John Lennon web site: http://www.johnlennon.com/