60 Years Ago, Four Words by John Lennon Split America in Two

In March 1966, John Lennon, wearied by two years of Beatlemania and excessive touring and travelling, talked to journalist Maureen Cleeve for an interview with the British newspaper, London's Evening Standard.

A discussion about books Lennon has recently been reading led to an unprecedented backlash in the country the Liverpool band had used, and would continue to use, as their primary creative and commercial base, alongside their home country of England. Moreover, the reverberations from...