August 13, 2007 11:10

Truth behind The Beatles 1964 British embassy visit revealed

Raucous trip saw officials 'manhandling' band

Photo Gallery: The Beatles
Photo: Pa Photos

Details of the The Beatles' eventful 1964 visit to the British embassy in Washington have been revealed for the first time.

Newly released documents from the Foreign Office reveal the over-eagerness of partygoers when the band visited in February 1964.

Drummer Ringo Starr had a lock of his hair cut off by fans. He said: “Someone just cut off a piece of my hair. I’m ruddy mad. This lot here are terrifying.”

John Lennon was pushed pulled by a “rugby scrum of young Foreign Office officials”, while George Harrison was grappled into a corner by dozens of autograph hunters in formal dress.

The scenes were so over zealous, that wife of British ambassador Lord Harlech - Lady Sylvia Ormsby-Gore - told the band as they left: “I really am terribly sorry about the scene in the ballroom.”

However, after the incident official tried to cover up the extent of the 'manhandling'.

Conservative MP Joan Quennell wrote privately to the Foreign Secretary Rab Butler demanding to know if it was true that “the young British entertainers known as The Beatles were manhandled by British officials".

Foreign Office officials said that no manhandling took place, with Harlech adding: “The suggestion they were manhandled by anyone is untrue.”

However, files recently released reveal private deliberations about revealing more and a letter from the British embassy to the Foreign Office dated March 10, 1964 said a “diplomat’s wife” was under suspicion.

However, the embassy were let off the hook, when a fan Beverly Markowitz, told Canadian newspaper ’Oshawa Times’ that she had managed to sneak into the party and was responsible for cutting the drummer’s locks.

In his 1983 Starr recalled his “horrendous time” at the embassy, reports The Independent.

He told said: “Most of the people didn’t relate to music in any shape or form. After they had a few drinks they got really silly and one guy decided he’d cut a lock of my hair off. I just started screaming at him and we didn’t stay there long. These diplomats just don’t know how to behave.”