recent article from the Daily Mail
PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: Never-before-seen images of The Beatles in 1968 may show George Harrison carrying Paul McCartney's resignation letter in his shirt pocket * The photographs were taken in 1968 by then 19-year-old Michael Herring
* One shows George Harrison with a piece of paper in his shirt pocket
* Herring claims it was Paul McCartney's unopened resignation letter
* He took the photographs after turning up uninvited on Lennon's doorstep
* Captured the group recording and says he witnessed letter opening 
Hello, Goodbye: Lennon and Harrison pictured beside the murals at George’s home. Paul’s ‘resignation letter’ is in Harrison's pocket, says Herringwww.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2984386/PICTURE-EXCLUSIVE-Never-seen-images-Beatles-1968-George-Harrison-carrying-Paul-McCartney-s-resignation-letter-shirt-pocket.htmlBy Sanchez Manning for The Mail on Sunday
Published: 17:02 EST, 7 March 2015 | Updated: 08:06 EST, 8 March 2015
"They are extraordinary pictures of the Beatles in their heyday, images never published before.
And, it is claimed, these photographs reveal for the first time a bombshell moment in the band’s history that has left Beatles experts baffled.
It is 1968 and John Lennon coolly stares into the camera. Alongside him, George Harrison has in his shirt pocket a resignation letter
from Paul McCartney – apparently written a full two years before he would eventually quit.
That is the claim of Michael Herring, who took the pictures as a 19-year-old art student during a magical day other Beatles fans could only dream about.
Mr Herring says he took these intimate pictures of the Beatles after turning up uninvited on John’s doorstep, later sharing a car ride
with him to George Harrison’s house to see the Beatles recording – and witnessing the opening of a letter said to announce McCartney’s resignation.
US-born Mr Herring’s adventure began when he ‘doorstepped’ Lennon at his Surrey mansion, Kenwood, on May 28, 1968, after getting the star’s address through a friend.
Mr Herring, who at the time was studying art in Kensington, West London, said that to his surprise he was invited in.
‘John opened the door and said exactly these words: “Well then, what’s it about?”,’ he recalled.
Mr Herring said he won Lennon over by joking: ‘John, I wish you could be me so that you know what it feels like to meet you.’ He was promptly invited in for breakfast.
Mr Herring sat down to eat with the singer and Yoko Ono – who ‘never spoke a word and was just mumbling into a cassette recorder’ – and then his luck got even better.
Impressed with Mr Herring’s knowledge of Yoko’s artwork, Lennon invited him to the band’s rehearsals for the White Album, which would be released later that year.
The never-before-seen photographs have been shared by Herring who took them as a 19-year-old art student
Drive my car: George and Ringo Starr outside Harrison’s Surrey home reportedly on the day the group read McCartney's resignation letter
Herring says he rode with the group from Lennon's house in his mini to Harrison's Surrey bungalow and later to watch them record They jumped into Lennon’s Mini and drove to Harrison’s Surrey bungalow, Kinfauns – adorned with psychedelic murals –
to find George sitting on his lawn, playing the guitar. It was here that Mr Herring captured his series of evocative images.
‘George looked up and said, “Who’s this, then?”’ Mr Herring, 67, recalled. ‘John said, “This is Michael. He’s an artist. I found him in me garden.”
They were chatting and the topic they were talking about was Paul. It appeared there was some question over whether Paul was going to show up for the rehearsal.’
In the house, Mr Herring was introduced to Ringo Starr and Harrison’s girlfriend Pattie Boyd.
And then came the arrival of a hand-delivered letter.
Mr Herring said: ‘There was a knock on the door. George opened it and there was a personal delivery guy.
He handed him this pale blue letter. George read it and passed it to John.
‘I understood it was a letter from Paul’s attorney saying Paul wanted to quit the band. It was as if they were expecting he wasn’t coming that day.
They didn’t seem that surprised. I can only paraphrase, but I recall George saying, “It’s from Eastmans and he’s not coming. Paul is quitting.” ’
Eastmans may have been a reference to the New York law firm Eastman & Eastman, the family business of Lee Eastman,
father of the future Linda McCartney, who Paul had met in 1967.
Linda’s brother John would later play a central role in steering Paul’s exit from the band.
Mirror image: Lennon is captured by Michael Herring as the pop star gives his young fan a liftThe Beatles spent the rest of the day rehearsing in a small room and only broke to enjoy vegetarian curries. Mr Herring said he saw no drugs or alcohol.
Later, Lennon gave Mr Herring a lift back to the station, Mr Herring capturing one final iconic photograph as Lennon glanced into the car’s rear-view mirror.
Mr Herring kept his day with the Beatles under wraps for 47 years, only going public when he contacted a Manchester auction house,
Omega Auctions, to enquire about selling his photographs and other memorabilia. The rare items are expected to fetch in excess of £10,000 when they go on sale on March 24.
Last night, Mark Lewisohn, a leading authority on the Beatles, said Mr Herring’s photographs were ‘fantastic because they capture a moment in history’.
But he cast doubt on the revelations about Paul’s resignation letter, saying: ‘There’s no way that can be accurate because the Eastmans
had no part in Paul’s life until his relationship with Linda began in October 1968, and there was no way Paul was quitting at this point.
They had a number of sessions at George’s house and Paul was certainly at most of them – maybe not this one – because we have the recordings.’
But he added: ‘This does not undermine the general story, which I do believe.
Mr Herring, a retired illustrator now living in Australia, insists his memories of events at Harrison’s house are correct.
A spokesman for Paul McCartney did not comment last night.
"follow-up article in post below
