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Lennon never liked being a recipient of it; he felt like he'd compromised himself in accepting the award. He saw a chance to make a high-profile protest against Britain's role in the Nigerian Civil War (or Nigeria-Biafra War), and Britain's support of American involvement in the Vietnam War (see Appendix below for details).
"I know I sold my soul when I received it [the medal], but now I have helped redeem it, in the name of peace."
He also put in a plug for his latest single, "Cold Turkey", in his letter to Queen Elizabeth II, explaining why he was returning the medal, so the act "wasn't just another old colonel protesting." (The letter, dated 25th of November 1969, less than 2 months before Biafra's surrender in early January 1970, read "Your Majesty - 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. With love, John Lennon.")
The medal itself was put in storage; technically, Lennon is still considered an MBE recipient.
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Appendix: some details of Britain's roles in the Biafran and Vietnam Wars
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Britain (along with the Soviet Union) was one of the main suppliers of arms to the mostly Muslim Nigerian Government (which was however led by the Protestant Christian General Gowon) during the Nigerian Civil War or Nigeria-Biafra War (1967-1970). An estimated one to three million citizens of the breakaway (and oil-rich) Republic of Biafra died, mainly from starvation due to the Nigerian blockade. Biafrans were predominantly Christian South-East Nigerians (mostly Roman Catholic, but led by the not-yet-Christian 'pagan/traditionalist/animist' Colonel Ojukwu), mostly of the Igbo tribe
(usually called the 'Ibo' tribe in Western media reports of the war), trying to break away from predominantly Muslim Nigeria after about 30,000 Igbos were massacred in 1967. Their much publicised starvation led to a major international (but predominantly Roman Catholic) effort to airlift food past the blockade. Supporters of Nigeria argued that blockades had always been legitimate weapons of war, and that a successful Biafran secession might lead to similar secessions and civil wars all over Africa. Other British (and US) motives presumably included oil, arms sales, the longstanding respect of British colonial administrators and others for the 'proud warriors' of Muslim Northern Nigeria, a desire to please other African and Commonwealth and Muslim governments, and fear of leaving Nigeria to become a Soviet ally in the worldwide Cold War (1948-1990) between the democratic capitalist West and Soviet Communism.
British Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson's first Government (1964-1970) also gave diplomatic support to its US ally in the controversial and unpopular Vietnam War (early 1960s-1975). But, unlike some other US allies such as Australia and South Korea, Wilson (like his Conservative successor Edward Heath (1970-1974)) also carefully refrained from sending any British troops, somewhat to the annoyance of US Presidents Johnson (1964-1969) and Nixon (1969-1974). Perhaps 3 million Vietnamese and other South East Asians (and 58,000 Americans) died in the unsuccessful US attempt to prevent Communist North Vietnam from re-uniting Vietnam by 'liberating' or 'conquering' capitalist South Vietnam.
The Times article of the next day, November 26, 1969, besides printing Lennon's explanatory letter (quoted above) also says:
'He said last night that he had been " mulling it over " for the past year or two and the Pinkville massacre had only contributed to his decision.'
The Pinkville massacre, now known as the My Lai massacre, was a massacre by US troops of 350 to 500 unarmed South Vietnamese civilians, mostly women, children, babies, and the elderly, in the hamlets of My Lai, Son My (whose US military codeword was Pinkville), and My Khe. Many victims also suffered beatings, torture, and sexual abuse. Some of the bodies were found mutilated. It took place on March 16, 1968, and caused much outrage when it was made public by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh in November 1969.
"Your Majesty, I am returning my MBE as a 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." - Love, John Lennon
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ProfessorOnly John Lennon returned his MBE. He did so in protest of Great Britain's supporting America in the Vietnam War.
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What date did The Beatles get awarded the MBE?
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