Posted on 12/20/2006 5:52:03 AM PST by ShadowDancer
Secret John Lennon Files Released By FBI
Documents Conclude Former Beatle Wasn't Serious Threat
POSTED: 7:35 am EST December 20, 2006
LOS ANGELES -- The FBI has released its final surveillance documents on John Lennon to a university historian who has waged a 25-year legal battle to obtain the secret files.
The 10 pages contain new details about Lennon's ties to leftist and anti-war groups in London in the early 1970s, but nothing indicating government officials considered the former Beatle a serious threat, historian Jon Wiener told the Los Angeles Times in Wednesday's editions.
The FBI had unsuccessfully argued that an unnamed foreign government secretly provided the information, and releasing the documents could lead to diplomatic, political or economic retaliation against the United States.
The newly released documents include a surveillance report stating that two prominent British leftists had courted Lennon in hopes that he would finance "a left-wing bookshop and reading room in London" but that Lennon gave them no money.
Another page states that there was "no certain proof" that Lennon had provided money "for subversive purposes."
"I doubt that Tony Blair's government will launch a military strike on the U.S. in retaliation for the release of these documents," Wiener told the newspaper. "Today, we can see that the national security claims that the FBI has been making for 25 years were absurd from the beginning."
Wiener first requested the documents in 1981, several months after he decided to write a book about Lennon following the singer's murder.
He initially obtained some documents, but the FBI withheld numerous files, saying they contained national security information and were exempt from the Freedom of Information Act.
Wiener sued the government and received a number of files in 1997 as part of a settlement with the FBI. Justice Department lawyers continued to withhold the final 10 pages until a federal judge in 2004 ordered their release.
The previously released files showed that the FBI closely monitored Lennon from 1971 to 1972.
So what?
How very profound. Thank you.
I don't understand why the government insisted on keeping this secret for so long. If the Lennon surveillance didn't amount to much, why not just give the author the files when he first asked for them?
Geez, why not just say "the dog ate the files"? It wouldn't be any more absurd, and at least they'd get points for having a sense of humor about the whole embarassment.
But they got caught at least once admitting that they wanted to stay because New York was *the* place to be for creative people like themselves.
If Lennon had abided by the INS's decisions,he'd still be alive today.
And might I add who cares?
No. Really. Who cares? This is meaningless in the scheme of things. I certainly don't. Why do you?
We have so many "important" issues to take care of dontcha know.
So he really WAS just a washed-up dopehead hippie?
Just to piss him off.
That's what it is, I'm afraid. I wonder how much this cost the petitioner and the government in legal fees, or just plain "time"?
But is Paul dead or isn't he?
Just a Dork married to one of the ugliest women in the world.
Take that back!...hippies have nothing to do with washing...
Here's another clue for you all:
The walrus was Paul.
At a minimum its an example of what government-including ours-is all about and thats power.If they do this with something so ridiculously insignificant, what are they doing with the important stuff?
So are you and yet, here you still are.
The FBI doesn't want us to forget who's in charge.
This is the best use of my taxes, to annoy a celebrity I mildly dislike.
Why the personal attack? Did I insult you?
And she can't sing worth a darn either. Lennon must have been blinded and made deaf by love.
Gathering information without using it is a waste of time. I don't think it qualifies as a grab of power to investigate Lennon.
Nope, just stating the truth. And if this thread is so insignificant to you, why didn't you just bypass it entirely? That's what I do when a thread doesn't interest me.
Or the LSD.
I'd say the FBI did a good job stringing the case along until nobody cares. 25 years is the right length of time to declassify secrets, anyway.
The Brits were most likely the source of the information. Their Official Secrets Act is a bit different from ours. Something like the life of everyone concerned, plus 20 years. One of the people indirectly concerned, Yoko Ono, is still alive.
25 years of national security claims for this info is what I was talking about, not the initial investigation.
Yoko Ono was a CIA plot to neutralize the Marxist threat that Lennon posed. < /tinfoil >
"But is Paul dead or isn't he?"
Yeah, but his soul has entered Hanoi Jane's body....
lol
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| "Gathering information without using it is a waste of time. I don't think it qualifies as a grab of power to investigate Lennon." I agree it's not a grab of power, however, doesn't one have to gather information and analyze it to discover it was a waste of time? |
"But if you want money for people with pictures of Chairman Mao, you ain't gonna make it with anyone, anyhow."---John Lennon on Revolution.
Wow! You must be a psychic. You know by a headline that the story won't interest you?
The headline caught my eye but the resultant story proved to be insignificant. Am I not allowed to comment on your threads? Are people only allowed to comment if they agree with you?
Still, why insult me? Just because someone posts a story doesn't mean the comments are about the poster of that thread. Yet, you chose to insult me. How thin skinned of you.
He later admitted to regretting that line about Mao.
He said it was a last second thing that he shouldn't have written.
I agree. That's what makes it a non story. The only reason anyone got worked up over this was because it was a socialist, John Lennon, who got investigated.
The FBI doesn't want us to forget who's in charge.
Agreed. I'm no fan of his politics, but it seems clear that the FBI stepped over their bounds because they didn't like his politics either.
I have no problem with people posting to my threads, that's pretty much the idea behind posting them. Your 'post', as it were, was worthless. It wasn't a disagreement with the article, it was two words that sounded like a playground retort. And once again, I didn't insult you. You stated the article was insignificant in the scheme of things, I said as were you. In a world of 6.5 billion people, I hardly think that point is up for argument with anyone except your mom.
Imagine there's no substance. It's easy if you spy.
If I'm not mistaken, Lennon was fairly ambivalent in his politics. Many of the high-caliber lefties wanted him to be more active, but he saw it more as a farce than anything else.
Imagine that...
| Merry Christmas from Olive, and the rest of the herd ^ |
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| Posted by ShadowDancer to dakine On News/Activism ^ 12/18/2006 8:30:39 AM EST · 75 of 108 ^ Calling someone an idiot or a moron really does not add to the intellect discussion we are striving for. Boy, I can't stand when people do that. Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies |
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The entire reason I posted that to him was sarcasm. I have no problem calling someone an idiot if they deserve it. However, I didn't do that to you because I don't think you deserve it. Yet. Hahahaha. Just kidding.
LOL. Have a Merry Christmas and watch out for the FBI. They just might be watching you.
Thank you. Merry Christmas to you, too.
I'm actually rather glad to see this.
I don't like the guy's politics, but if he wasn't that involved, I can't hate him any more than the liberal down the street.
OTOH, apparently they only investigated for 2 years. Doesn't mean things were not happening earlier or later.
No. Really. Who cares? This is meaningless in the scheme of things. I certainly don't. Why do you?
__________
Clearly you do care. The evidence is incontrovertible. You came onto the thread, read it, and are posting comments. Wouldn't you have passed right over it if you didn't care?
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