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On July 5, 1966, The Beatles left Manila after being physically threatened because they didn’t join an invitation by the Philippines’ First Lady, Imelda Marcos. In the early morning of July 6, after a brief refuelling stop in Bangkok, they arrived in New Delhi, India, for a two-days stop. They left New Delhi on the evening of July 7.
Aboard the plane and following the bad experiences in Japan and in Manila, the Beatles shared with their manager Brian Epstein their desire to stop touring.
They told Brian of their decision [to stop touring] on the BOAC plane from New Delhi to London. After the American part of the present tour was over, they did not want to go out on the road again, at least in the foreseeable future. This upset Brian so much that by the time the jet reached Heathrow Airport his body was covered with hives and welts in an almost uninterrupted pattern. Brian was so sick that the plane’s pilot radioed ahead for an ambulance to meet us at the airport. “What will I do if they stop touring?” Brian asked me feverishly. “What will be left for me?” […] The hives proved to be glandular fever, and Brian was put to bed for a month.
Peter Brown – From “The Love You Make: An Insider’s Story of the Beatles“, 2002
They arrived at London Airport at 6 am on July 8, where a brief press conference was held. They were also interviewed by the ITN network and by Reuters and discussed their troubled time in the Philippines.
Beatles Leave India For Home
New Delhi, July 7 (AP) – Several hundred Indian fans screamed farewell to John, George, Paul and Ringo tonight as the Beatles left for home after a hectic Asian tour.
A limousine took the shaggy-haired quartet close to the airport runway so they could get into their plane quickly as police kept the fans at bay.
Earlier the Beatles eluded their followers and had a chauffeur cruise through the countryside 36 miles south of New Delhi while the quartet sat in the back of the rented limousine and sipped soft drinks.
Their two-day stay was intended as a rest stop but they spent much of their time trying to evade eager fans.
In contrast with tonight’s relatively orderly send-off, the Beatles’ departure Tuesday from Manila was marred by a scuffle and jeering after fans heard reports that the visitors had failed to show up for a scheduled appearance at the Presidential Palace.
The Beatles later said there was a misunderstanding and they had not known they were invited.
From The Baltimore Sun – July 8, 1966
WE WERE TERRIFIED, SAY THE BEATLES
“We were terrified” — “If we go back it will be with an H-bomb” — “I’m not even going to fly over the place, talk about going back.”
So said the still rather unnerved Beatles when they flew into London early today after their harassing experience at Manila Airport in the Philippines. The remarks were made by George Harrison and echoed by Ringo Starr.
There was a comforting crowd of about 200 girls — “the regulars” — to welcome the boys back. They crowded the airport roof garden as the group’s Boeing 707 landed from New Delhi.
At a Press conference in an airport hotel, the four answered questions. They were all rather tired after their 13-hour journey. Asked about the jeering scenes at Manila Airport, George said: “We were shoved and pushed around. There were a lot of vicious types with guns and all the gear, stirring it up. We were terrified.”
Manager Epstein claimed that he was not told about the invitation to meet the President’s wife. It was the Beatles’ absence from this meeting that prompted the barracking scenes on their departure and the “Beatles snub President” headlines in Manila papers.
From Liverpool Echo – July 8, 1966
Beatles home today; their new LP is named
The Beatles were due back in London early today (Friday) following a two-day stop in New Delhi, India, on the way home from Manila. Brian Epstein is to consult lawyers about possible action against the promoters in connection with Tuesday’s incidents, during which the Beatles were “punched, kicked and generally treated like animals.“
Their Press officer, Tony Barrow, and two of the group’s road managers returned direct to London and arrived on Wednesday. Describing the previous day’s episode, Barrow said: “It was very, very frightening. An extremely nasty situation.“
He explained that the Beatles had not snubbed the President’s wife — the rumour which caused the trouble — but had simply not received an invitation to attend a lunch in their honour at the Manila Palace.
Barrow added: “You can take it that the Beatles arc never likely to visit Manila again!“
The title of the Beatles’ next album has been announced: it is “Revolver.” The LP will be issued next month, although an exact date has still to be fixed. Titles on side one are “Tax Man,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “I’m Only Sleeping,” “Love You To,” “Here There And Everywhere,” “Yellow Submarine” and “ She Said, She Said.” On side two are “Good Day Sunshine,” “And Your Bird Can Sing,” “For No One,” “Dr. Robert,” “I Want To Tell You,” “Got To Get You Into My Life” and “Tomorrow Never Knows.”
Reports that a script has been chosen for the next Beatles’ film were this week denied by producer Walter Shenson. “A three-page idea, which we like, has been submitted by a young writer,” Shenson explained. “But this has now to be turned into a script — and no decision can be taken until this has been written and considered.”
From New Musical Express – July 8, 1966
Last updated on October 23, 2023
Going further
The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years
"With greatly expanded text, this is the most revealing and frank personal 30-year chronicle of the group ever written. Insider Barry Miles covers the Beatles story from childhood to the break-up of the group."
We owe a lot to Barry Miles for the creation of those pages, but you really have to buy this book to get all the details - a day to day chronology of what happened to the four Beatles during the Beatles years!
If we like to think, in all modesty, that the Paul McCartney Project is the best online ressource for everything Paul McCartney, The Beatles Bible is for sure the definitive online site focused on the Beatles. There are obviously some overlap in terms of content between the two sites, but also some major differences in terms of approach.
http://www.meetthebeatlesforreal.com/2016/07/returning-home.html
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