John Lennon talks to war veteran camping outside his house and invites him in for food in resurfaced footage

Resurfaced footage shows the late Beatles singer John Lennon inviting a war veteran into his home for food after he was spotted camping outside.

See Lennon chatting with the fan below:

Following their rise to fame in the 1960s, the Beatles found fans across the globe, some of who were much more dedicated than others.

In 1971, Lennon became aware of one fan in particular, named Curt Claudio, who had spent months sending telegrams from San Francisco to the musician's home in England.

In the book Imagine John Yoko, written by Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, Lennon's assistant, Dan Richter, explained how they traced the telegrams to a Veterans Administration hospital, and learned Claudio was a 'shell-shocked Vietnam veteran who was due to be released from the hospital'.

Yoko explained that there was 'no particular security' at their home in Tittenhurst, Ascot, and the couple later learned there was someone 'staying in [their] garden almost every night'.

Amazon

Lennon and Yoko went out to talk to the man, who is believed to have thought Beatles songs were addressed directly to him.

Footage from their meeting, featured in the documentaries Gimme Some Truth and Above Us Only Sky, showed Lennon talking with the veteran and explaining that the songs were about his own life, instead of being directed at anyone else.

In the book, Lennon recalled: "He thought the whole thing was about him and I said, ‘No, it’s about me.’ It might strike a corresponding chord in your experience because we all have similar experiences but it’s basically about me and if it’s not about me, it’s about Yoko."

In spite of their differing beliefs, Lennon showed kindness towards the fan, as he asked him whether he was hungry, and invited him into the home for something to eat.

Amazon

The Beatles star has been praised for the way he handled the situation, with viewers of the resurfaced footage noting that things could have gone very differently.

"Cool he would meet the fan like that, could have easily called the cops," one TikTok user wrote, while another commented: "That is amazing. I can't believe John would meet and greet with this vet. So awesome."

Yoko explained in the book that Lennon 'always felt responsible' for fans like Claudio, because their dedication to the band came about as a 'result of his songs'.

She added: "[Claudio] was no dummy. He was a spiritual person. Claudio was communicating to John on a high level. It’s no bad thing; it was a good thing, actually.

"We knew he was a spirit and that’s why John invited him in to have lunch with us. The food did it, though. It calmed him down. I don’t think we heard from him again after that."