A Day In Rock: November 25th, 1969 – John Lennon Returns His MBE
“I am returning this MBE in protest against Britain’s involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against ‘Cold Turkey’ slipping down the charts,” wrote John Lennon.
On October 26th, 1965, all four Beatles (Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr) went to Buckingham Palace to receive their Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire medals from Queen Elizabeth II. They had been notified of the award the previous June, when their names showed up on the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. The honor is awarded for service to the country.
Here are the stories behind the statement…
1. A civil war between Nigeria and breakaway state Biafra was in its second year. Nigerian oil was vital to Britain as a oil consumer. The British government provided large quantities of arms to the Nigerian federal government as a way to protect and preserve the oil supply. The three-year war left up to three million people dead, as Nigeria enforced a blockade on Biafra, causing widespread starvation amid considerable international opposition to the conflict.
2. Lennon had frequently and passionately condemned the U.S. involvement in Vietnam (the war between North and South Vietnam) and was a major peace advocate. So much so that the Nixon administration investigated Lennon (who was living in the U.S.) for his anti-war rhetoric and tried to have him deported.
U.S. involvement in the war ended with the Paris Peace Accords in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnam conquered the South.
3. “Cold Turkey,” a song written by Lennon depicting his heroin withdrawal, was presented as a possible Beatles track. When the band passed on it, he recorded the song as a solo (with Starr on drums) and released it as a single. It peaked at #14 on the U.K. chart.
Lennon later felt the “Cold Turkey” comment was ‘flippant’ and demeaned the value of the first two points.
Lennon’s MBE medal remained in the vault of the Chancery Department of the Royal Household until it was ‘discovered’ in 2009 – some 40 years later.
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