Louise Mensch heading to NY

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Aug 10th 2012, 2:17 pm

#31

Giantaxe

Lost in BE Cyberspace

Joined: Jan 2006

Location: San Francisco

Posts: 12,885

Re: Louise Mensch heading to NY

Quote:

Originally Posted by WEBlue

I never understood the whole John Lennon deportation scuffle. Wikipedia says that he had a misdemeanor conviction for cannibis possession in London in the late 60s that should have prevented his admission to the US in the 70s (?), but he was let in & led a high-profile life in NYC. The rumour was that Nixon tried to get him deported afterwards but failed. So was a misdemeanor conviction not looked at so seriously in those days by US immigration?

I doubt the US was so hot and heavy about drugs until the "war on drugs" started... the '70's nonsense was mainly Nixon and Hoover's paranoia that Lennon was "subversive".

Aug 10th 2012, 3:18 pm

#32

WEBlue

Under blue skies

Joined: Mar 2011

Location: East Anglia->New England

Posts: 3,624

Re: Louise Mensch heading to NY

Quote:

Originally Posted by Giantaxe

I doubt the US was so hot and heavy about drugs until the "war on drugs" started... the '70's nonsense was mainly Nixon and Hoover's paranoia that Lennon was "subversive".

Yes, I think you're right. The definitions & concerns about exactly what 'drugs' were & were not were still in flux then.

The Nixon administration set up the DEA in 1973, partly perhaps in response to reports of high rates of drug addiction (to hard drugs) among US troops in Vietnam during that war. But the attempt to deport John Lennon had already been initiated in 1972, inspired by what were eventually ruled to be purely political reasons. Nixon resigned in '74 in disgrace and Lennon's PR was finally approved in '76. So that was the beginning of it all....