John Lennon and Yoko Ono attended an immigration hearing in New York City on 12 May 1972.
The hearing was presided over by Judge Ira Fieldsteel. Acting on behalf of the US government, Vincent Schiano argued that Lennon’s 1968 conviction for cannabis possession should make him ineligible for permanent residency.
Lennon’s lawyer Leon Wildes countered by saying that UK law allowed a conviction for possession regardless of intent, whereas in the UK it was necessary to demonstrate knowledge of possession. He claimed that Lennon and Ono had been living a drug-free lifestyle at the time, and that he had not been involved in any trafficking efforts.
Various character witnesses were also called on the couple’s behalf, including MoMA director Thomas PF Hoving, talk show host Dick Cavett, and Everson Museum director Jim Harithas. Ken Dewey, the chair of the National Committee for John and Yoko, a New York group of friends and supporters, produced a petition signed by luminaries including Bob Dylan, Leonard Bernstein, John Cage, Jasper Johns, Joan Baez, and John Updike, and Allen Ginsberg wrote a letter of support.
The final witness was Lennon’s manager Allen Klein, who told the court that Lennon’s net worth was around $50 million, and that up to 150 US households were dependent on his business.
Lennon then took the stand. Asked by Schiano what he would do were he to be deported while Ono stayed in the US, Lennon replied that he would “hover in a helicopter ten foot off the ground, or in a boat paddling in the Hudson”.
The hearing was adjourned until 17 May.