Langley, VA: November, 1980
[Intercom]: Mr. Lawrence, Mr. Kincaid… Mr. Anderson is here to see you now.
L: Thanks, Pam. Send him in.
K: What’s this all about, anyway?
L: I dunno. Some job he wants done. Wouldn’t say over the phone.
A [entering]: Good morning, sirs.
L: Anderson
K: Anderson
L: Have a seat. Now… what’s your project?
A: Well, sirs, let me get right to the point. It’s John Lennon. I think it’s time we took him out.
K: Lenin? Who’s he, Russian expat?
A: No, sir. Lennon. The musician. You know, the radical. The druggie. The one with the wife.
L: You mean from the Beatles?
A: Yes, sir. The FBI kept a file on him for about seven, eight years. A very active radical, involved in international heroin traffic, a Communist revolutionary.
K: Oh, yeah. All those protests, the whole thing with John Sinclair and Angela Davis. I can’t believe we let him in the country.
L: Mm.
K: And didn’t he write that song, “Revolution”?
A: Yes he did, sir.
L: You mean the one with all the jibber-jabber?
K: No no, that was “Revolution Number Nine”. I mean the one about Chairman Mao.
L: Oh, right. And he wrote “Back in the USSR”, too.
K: No, I think that was… you know, the other guy… the cute one. The one who wrote “Silly Love Songs”.
L: Really? You mean [singing] “Da da da had enough of silly love songs…”
K: Yeah, that’s it.
L: You know, my wife loves that tune! That’s the same guy who wrote “Back in the USSR”?
K: You wouldn’t think so, but I’m pretty sure, yeah.
A: Sirs, I think we’re drifting away from the point, here.
K: Sorry. So why’d the Feebees close the file?
A: Well, sir, he ostensibly cleaned up and settled down, knocked off the radical activities and was a stay-at-home dad, so Jimmy thought…. Well, you know how Jimmy is – or “was”, if you get my drift.
L: [clears throat]
A: But he has a new album out, and from what I understand, it’s highly subversive. Could start stirring up trouble. Very left wing. And… I hate to bring this up, but… we believe it promotes pedophilia.
L: Huh?
A: I’m not kidding, this is how crazy he’s gotten. There’s a song, “Beautiful Boy”, with the lyric “I can hardly wait to see you come”. It’s really pretty sick.
L: Listen, Anderson, I don’t think we could justify any funding—
A: Oh, no problem, sir. We have a dark angel for this one. Says it’s long overdue after what Lennon’s done.
K: What do you know about this guy?
A: He knows Lennon. Personally. A real insider – or was, before our man turned Commie.
L: All right, so what’s your plan, Anderson?
A: Well, sir, we’ve managed to put a former operative in position at Lennon’s hotel. Former Bay of Pigger. He’s the doorman.
K: You’re gonna have the doorman shoot him?
A: No, he’s there for site management and cleanup. We need a patsy. Still working on that. We’re having a hard time finding anyone who wants to shoot John. And there’s a credibility gap.
K: Why not have someone try to shoot Yoko and miss? Hell, I’d believe that.
L: Well, if you’re gonna do that, might as well not miss. One less witness, right? And have you heard her records?
A: I’m sorry, we can’t go after Yoko. Her family’s very connected in Japanese finance. John’s family… well, they’re labor lefties.
K: What if we had an agent in the ambulance slip her a mickey… you know, induce a heart attack on the way to ER?
L: Kincaid—
K: Just brainstorming, here.
[Intercom flashes]
L: What is it, Pam?
[Intercom]: Sirs, sorry to interrupt, but there’s a call for Mr. Anderson in his office.
A: This is a very important meeting.
[Intercom]: Yes, sir, I understand, but it’s a Mr. Best, and he says it’s urgent. Something about having located a “candidate”?
A: Uh… actually, I probably better take this call. But you guys think it over, ok? That’s all I’m asking. Just give it some thought.
