John Lennon FBI

John Lennon said “Give Peace a Chance”. Does this sound like a man who should be investigated by the FBI? John Lennon was one of the greatest musicians of all time. What many people don’t know is that he was also investigated by the FBI for most of his adult life. He was an activist and spoke out against the government and the War in Vietnam multiple times. John Lennon and his fellow Beatles started speaking out against the government on June 30 1966. His relationship with wife Yoko Ono was a big influence in his protest against the war. It was because of his ideas that the FBI feared that people would start to follow his beliefs and act out against the government.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono always new they were being watched. But they never knew how closely they were being watched. The investigation started when the FBI first learned that Mr. Lennon donated over $75,000 to an organization that was planning to breach the Republican National Convention in 1972. President Nixon got involved with the fight against John Lennon and tried to have him deported because of his peace activism in 1972. But the judge denied the request and Mr. Lennon stayed.
Mr. Lennon began fighting out against the war when he moved to America and met Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman and Bobby Seale; they were three very big activists in New York at the time. As John Lennon started doing more and more with these three men, the FBI became more suspicious and watched him even closer. His FBI files kept getting bigger. Many other celebrities also demonstrated during the anti-war movement, but John Lennon wanted to end the Vietnam War. He tried many different strategies at different times. One of John Lennon’s most famous antiwar acts towards the government was his “Bed In” that occurred in 1969. He and Yoko Ono sat in their bed in their hotel room for two weeks singing for peace. John Lennon was never violent or rude. He spoke his mind in peaceful ways and always said what he believed should happen.
The FBI had over 300 files on him. They explained what he did daily and every protest he sang at and participated in. Dr. Weiner was the first citizen to be able to look at a few of the FBI files and how unnecessary they were. The FBI never got actual evidence that Mr. Lennon was doing anything illegal or that he was trying to undermine the United States government. The case eventually closed on December 8th 1972. The more the FBI watched him the more paranoid he became. The FBI wanted him to ultimately become a “hermit” where he wouldn’t leave or talk to anyone. By December of 1972 they got their wish. Mr. Lennon never left home until 1980. John Lennon was assinated December 8th 1980. He was a wonderful activist and musician. Did he deserve to be investigated? Was it necessary to investigate him? Or was he just doing what everyone else was afraid to do? Speak out for what he believed in.