The Nixon State Department, specifically presidential assistant H. R. Haldeman, were kept well-advised of the FBI tail on Lennon. FBI memos revealed that there was an attempt to prove narcotic abuse and possession by the couple in order to immdiately deport them, and that attempts were made to nail the two on purgery, fraud, and conspiracy charges if any part of their official story could be proven untrue. The Bureau also tried to place Lennon at the convention in November 1972 in Miami, FL, but of course could not.
In March, 1972, however, the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) began proceedings to eject John Lennon from the United States, citing a 1968 misdemeanor conviction for possession of marijuana in London as grounds for deportation. Their attorney, Leon Wildes, managed to delay the actual deportation for the next four years based on John's appeal of the 1968 narcotics conviction, Yoko's custody battle, and Yoko's eventual pregnancy with son Sean.
