10 Things You Didn't Know About The Beatles

10. The FBI Had An Extensive File On John Lennon

Yep, you read that right.

President Richard Nixon was so concerned about John Lennon's political sway, he ordered the FBI to open a file and start a surveillance operation on him.

During 1969, Lennon and Yoko Ono were peacefully lounging around, growing their hair and inviting journalists into their bedroom. Their famous bed-ins were a protest against war and a campaign for peace. During the early '70s the couple became more outspoken with Lennon's songs becoming more politically charged.

Around this time, Nixon had pledged to resolve the issues in Vietnam. But public opinion polls and the rising number of political protests left the President concerned about his re-election chances. FBI files, released years after the fact, revealed Nixon was paranoid that Lennon's music contained messages of revolution, and that his presence at a number of leftist rallies was indication he was some sort of commie sympathiser. The FBI actually sent people to monitor his concerts and study his lyrics for hidden meanings.

The files also revealed the Whitehouse had genuine concerns that a couple of hairy hippies could topple the Nixon administration. The US government attempted to deport Lennon several times, on trumped-up drug charges in order to silence him. Nixon was ultimately chucked out of office before Lennon was deported, however.