John Lennon and Yoko Ono "U.S.A. Surpasses All the Genocide Records!" poster
Posted on 07/18/2025 3:02:26 PM PDT by nickcarraway
On July 18, 1974, the former Beatle was officially told (again) to get out of the United States.
Considering the latter-day, beloved status that John Lennon enjoyed as a world citizen who promoted peace and harmony, it almost beggars belief that on July 18, 1974, the former Beatle was officially told (again) to get out of the United States.
That was the day newspapers reported that Lennon had been told by the Board of Immigration Appeals that he had until September 10 to leave the country or face deportation. Not exactly the news he wanted to hear, as he set to work at the Record Plant studio in New York, self-producing what would become his fifth studio album, Walls and Bridges.
The board dismissed Lennon’s petition to delay its decision until the conclusion of pending lawsuits that contested his deportation. But Leon Wildes, John’s lawyer, said that an appeal would be filed and it “would be years before the case is resolved.” Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono, was granted permission to stay in the US as a permanent resident alien.
A threat to Nixon?
John’s high profile, anti-Vietnam War protests and peace campaigning had made him a thorn in the side of the US authorities for years. Although it now seems an absurd suggestion, President Richard Nixon actually believed at the time that they could damage his chances of re-election.
Lennon was challenging the order the previous year by a federal immigration judge that required him to leave the country because of his UK conviction in 1968 for possession of marijuana. The events surrounding his battle to stay in the States would become the subject of the 2006 film The US vs. John Lennon.
‘We are not unsympathetic’
The Board of Immigration voted by four to nil to issue the ruling, with one member not participating. “We are not unsympathetic to the plight of the respondent and others in a similar situation under the immigration laws, who have committed only one marijuana violation for which a fine was imposed,” they wrote. “Nevertheless, arguments for a change in the law must be addressed to the legislative, rather than the executive branch of government.”
As events turned out, by the time Lennon made his appeal on August 31, Nixon had resigned over the Watergate scandal, and his successor Gerald Ford showed little appetite to continue deportation proceedings. Walls and Bridges was duly released at the end of September, and the following year, the order was overturned by New York State Supreme Court judge Irving Kaufman.
“The courts will not condone selective deportation based upon secret political grounds,” said Kaufman in his ruling. He added: “Lennon’s four-year battle to remain in our country is a testimony to his faith in this American dream.” In 1976, John was finally given his green card.
Imagine if the bitch would just shut up...
Thanks for the details.
With fine role models like them, how in the world did my generation go wrong so much? (age 79).
In a book of articles about Paul McCartney there is a magazine writer’s satire on an alternate universe for the Beatles and their peers.
One scene is John Lennon stepping over a curb to get into his limo, over a handbill blown into the gutter that advertises a little known local performance artist booked for a show at a small venue.
Another “What was it Reverend Mick Jagger said at church in his sermon last Sunday? You can’t always get what you want.”
“Considering the latter-day, beloved status that John Lennon enjoyed as a world citizen who promoted peace and harmony, it almost beggars belief“
LOL! Lennon was an Asshat of the first water. The deification of multi-millionaire Socialists is what “beggars belief”
Ya… it seems especially absurd considering Nixon was re-elected in 1972, in an overwhelming landslide… two years before this happened. I seriously doubt that Nixon ever thought twice about John Lennon. The writers of this crap have more imagination than they have curiosity about timelines.
He was the least among the 4 as far as I am concerned, although it’s clear he rated himself as #1.
trustmebro.com ?
“Just for the sake of argument, we correctly say the murder (or rape or carjaking or subway knifing and beating) would never have take place if the illegal alien had not been allowed across the border into the US”
Nobody is “allowing” this, it has been forced upon America. To your point I understand what you are trying to convey.
In several countries (not the US, obviously) in any automobile collision the foreign visitor, tourist, visa holder, or whatever is always considered at fault for the accident, regardless of who was at fault, by virtue of the fact that if this non-citizen person was not in the country to begin with, then the collision could not have occurred in the first place.
I’ll not argue whether I agree with this reasoning, but they have a point. I think you’re simply saying deporting John Lennon would have been good for Mr. Lennon in the long run, as he would not have been murdered by the special project wind-up toy. I agree.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono "U.S.A. Surpasses All the Genocide Records!" poster
The Reagan part is disputed, but he decently renounced all of his leftism. Sadly, he prefly embraced Xhristianity, but the seed did not take root.
The Reagan part is disputed, but he decently renounced all of his leftism.
Flawed human. God blessed him with musical talent.
I’ll enjoy the music, God knows what he’s doing.
A voice that could nearly bring tears to your eyes.
And he wrote some great songs too.
Julia
I agree that there was something magical about Lennon's voice. He and McCartney harmonized so well. The last verse of Hey Jude when Lennon joins McCartney right before everyone sings in the chorus was about the best 30 seconds of music The Beatles ever did IMO. Lennon wrote some outstanding songs (and some real junk, too).
As a human, Lennon left a lot to be desired a lot of the time. Not that unusual for artists. I doubt that Nixon's national security concerns about John Lennon had any merit, though.
He was an arrogant jerk, IMO.
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