http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article314479.ece


FBI thought Lennon was too stoned to start a revolution

By David Usborne in New York
Published: 23 September 2005

It was apparently with much relief that the FBI had a sudden
revelation about the former Beatle John Lennon, back in 1972. For
months the agency had been fretting that the singer-turned-activist
was preparing to disrupt the Republican National Convention in Miami.
Then somebody said it: Lennon was far too stoned to be a real threat.

The moment when the FBI concluded that pot had got the better of the
late rock star is recorded in one of a myriad of files on deceased
celebrities released by the US government this week under freedom of
information statutes.

The same collection of papers reveals how far the agency went to spy
on other celebrities, ranging from Marilyn Monroe - supposedly a
Communist - to Liberace, who apparently had a gambling problem.

There has never been any secret about the preoccupation of the US
government with Lennon after his arrival in America from Britain with
his second wife, Yoko Ono, in 1971. Their political views and high-
profile activism - including the famous Montreal "bed-in" in which
they expounded on world peace while wearing pyjamas - caused deep
suspicion in the Nixon administration.

The surveillance only really ended in 1976 after Lennon won his
battle with the Immigration and Naturalisation Service for the right
to remain in the US. In possession of his precious green card he
vanished into virtual seclusion with his wife at their apartment in
the Dakota Building in Manhattan - the scene of his murderfour years
later.

In one memorandum from 1972 an FBI agent writes that Lennon wanted a
visa extension only so he could "engage in disruptive activities
surrounding the Republican convention that renominated Richard Nixon
for a second term.

But an informant advised the FBI not to get so exercised about the
singer from Liverpool. He said that although Lennon "appears to be
radically oriented", he did not give the impression of being
seriously committed to any cause, "since he is constantly under the
influence of narcotics".

The travails of Lennon as he tried to make America his new home
through the 1970s while battling against the suspicions of its
government will be explored in a new documentary film.

Due for release in the middle of next year, The US vs John Lennon, to
be directed by David Leaf, is described as a chronicle of the
surveillance of the ex-Beatle until 1976, when a Democrat, Jimmy
Carter, won the presidency. Yoko Ono, who still lives in the same
Dakota Building apartment, 25 years after her husband's death, has co-
operated on the project. She was also involved in a Broadway musical,
Lennon, that opened to poor reviews six weeks ago. The musical
lingers on Lennon's battle to win residency in the US. The show
failed to impress either critics or theatre-goers and will close
after a final performance tomorrow.

This week, the BBC revealed that in November it plans to broadcast
for the first time in Britain an hour-long interview that was given
by Lennon to Jann Wenner, the founder of Rolling Stone magazine, just
after the break-up of the Beatles. The interview will be broadcast on
Radio 4.

It was apparently with much relief that the FBI had a sudden
revelation about the former Beatle John Lennon, back in 1972. For
months the agency had been fretting that the singer-turned-activist
was preparing to disrupt the Republican National Convention in Miami.
Then somebody said it: Lennon was far too stoned to be a real threat.

The moment when the FBI concluded that pot had got the better of the
late rock star is recorded in one of a myriad of files on deceased
celebrities released by the US government this week under freedom of
information statutes.

The same collection of papers reveals how far the agency went to spy
on other celebrities, ranging from Marilyn Monroe - supposedly a
Communist - to Liberace, who apparently had a gambling problem.

There has never been any secret about the preoccupation of the US
government with Lennon after his arrival in America from Britain with
his second wife, Yoko Ono, in 1971. Their political views and high-
profile activism - including the famous Montreal "bed-in" in which
they expounded on world peace while wearing pyjamas - caused deep
suspicion in the Nixon administration.

The surveillance only really ended in 1976 after Lennon won his
battle with the Immigration and Naturalisation Service for the right
to remain in the US. In possession of his precious green card he
vanished into virtual seclusion with his wife at their apartment in
the Dakota Building in Manhattan - the scene of his murderfour years
later.

In one memorandum from 1972 an FBI agent writes that Lennon wanted a
visa extension only so he could "engage in disruptive activities
surrounding the Republican convention that renominated Richard Nixon
for a second term.
But an informant advised the FBI not to get so exercised about the
singer from Liverpool. He said that although Lennon "appears to be
radically oriented", he did not give the impression of being
seriously committed to any cause, "since he is constantly under the
influence of narcotics".

The travails of Lennon as he tried to make America his new home
through the 1970s while battling against the suspicions of its
government will be explored in a new documentary film.

Due for release in the middle of next year, The US vs John Lennon, to
be directed by David Leaf, is described as a chronicle of the
surveillance of the ex-Beatle until 1976, when a Democrat, Jimmy
Carter, won the presidency. Yoko Ono, who still lives in the same
Dakota Building apartment, 25 years after her husband's death, has co-
operated on the project. She was also involved in a Broadway musical,
Lennon, that opened to poor reviews six weeks ago. The musical
lingers on Lennon's battle to win residency in the US. The show
failed to impress either critics or theatre-goers and will close
after a final performance tomorrow.

This week, the BBC revealed that in November it plans to broadcast
for the first time in Britain an hour-long interview that was given
by Lennon to Jann Wenner, the founder of Rolling Stone magazine, just
after the break-up of the Beatles. The interview will be broadcast on
Radio 4.