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The Lennon memorial “Strawberry Fields” 12/8/2023 in NYC
It was 43 years ago today…
An inartful way to phrase the death of John Lennon. December 8, 1980.
Beside the tragedy is a jarring backstory. John – now arguably a godfather of modern progressive values – had become a quite vocal activist against the Vietnam war. He had taken up residence in New York City after the breakup of the Beatles, and sitting President Nixon wanted him dealt with. Nixon was like that.
Nixon tried to deport John. Lennon got an attorney and went into legal stall tactics. It worked. Within a couple of years Nixon was dealing with his Watergate scandal and being forced to resign in 1974. Additionally, Nixon had agreed in 1973 to a peace treaty to end the Vietnam war.
So John got through the cracks, Gerald Ford had no reason to hassle him and John stayed in NYC.
In fact Ford wanted a domestic healing after that war, granting amnesty to draft evaders.
And this is the problem: Had Nixon succeeded in sending John back to UK, he isn’t shot on 12/8/1980 in New York and may well still be alive (age 83).
😬