Paul McCartney flies to New York

While work continued on the White Album in London, Paul McCartney flew to America on this day for promotional duties for Apple.

The purpose of the trip was to show a promotional film at the Capitol Convention in Los Angeles, where record company executives would be able to see The Beatles’ intentions for their business. Initially, however, they flew to New York since a direct flight to LA wasn’t available.

He was accompanied on the trip by head of Apple Ron Kass, employee Tony Bramwell and Ivan Vaughan, McCartney’s childhood friend who had introduced him to John Lennon on 6 July 1957.

The party flew from London Airport to New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport, where McCartney attempted to contact Linda Eastman.

We literally rushed to the airport to get flights and, since we couldn’t get a direct flight to LA, had to make a stopover in New York. The first thing Paul did on arrival at Kennedy on June 20, 1968, was to dig out that check with Linda’s number on it that, tellingly, he had carefully kept in his wallet, and telephoned her. She was out, so he got her answering service.

‘Hey, I’m in America!’ he said. ‘Come and hang out for a couple of days. I’m staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel.’ He seemed disappointed that she hadn’t been in to answer the telephone herself.

The following day they continued to Los Angeles, returning to England on 25 June 1968.