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Gimme Some Truth

The John Lennon FBI Files
By Jon Wiener
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Gimme Some Truth recounts Jon Wiener’s 14-year legal battle to obtain FBI surveillance files on John Lennon. The story begins with a 1972 letter from FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover to the Nixon White House describing Lennon as a "former member of the Beatles singing group." When Wiener requested the files in 1981 under the Freedom of Information Act, most of the documents were withheld on national security grounds. The narrative explores the perseverance required to challenge government secrecy all the way to the Supreme Court.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$6099

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book appeals to readers interested in arts and culture with a focus on political history, civil liberties, and music legends. It is particularly suited for those fascinated by the intersection of government surveillance, activism, and rock history.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

This book tells the story of the author's remarkable fourteen-year court battle to win release of the Lennon files under the Freedom of Information Act in a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court. 100 key pages of the Lennon FBI file will be available - complete and unexpurgated, fully annotated and presented in a "before and after" format.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
When FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover reported to the Nixon White House in 1972 about the Bureau's surveillance of John Lennon, he began by explaining that Lennon was a "former member of the Beatles singing group". When a copy of this letter arrived in response to Jon Wiener's 1981 Freedom of Information request, the entire text was withheld - along with almost 200 other pages - on the grounds that releasing it would endanger national security. The book tells the story of the author's remarkable 14-year court battle to win release of the Lennon files under the Freedom of Information Act in a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Mother Jones highlights the government’s paranoia and harassment of Lennon for his activism, revealing a sobering willingness to spy on critics. The Washington Post praises Wiener’s depiction of entrenched bureaucratic secrecy as a nuisance to public transparency, showing how even trivial materials are zealously guarded. Reviews commend the book’s detailed account of Lennon’s legal battle rather than focusing solely on Lennon himself.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780520222465

Publisher: University of California Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 21 January 2000

Country: United States

Imprint: University of California Press

Illustration: 174 b-w images

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 23.0mm

Width: 178.0mm

Height: 254.0mm

Weight: 635g

Pages: 344

Collections

American & Canadian History Arts & Culture Biography & Memoir Education & Reference History & Archaeology History & Military Jon Wiener Non-Fiction Politics & Current Affairs

About the Author

Jon Wiener is Professor of History at the University of California, Irvine, author of Come Together: John Lennon and His Time (1994), and a contributing editor of The Nation.

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