Paul Quits The Beatles – Don Short’s source

It was the Daily Mirror that broke the news, courtesy of their showbiz columnist Don Short.

Other newspapers were also sent the Q&A sheet included in the press pack with the “McCartney” album, but did not respond. What prompted Don Short to draw the conclusion that exploded on the front page of the Daily Mirror?

On April 7, 1970, The Eastmans announce the release of the “McCartney” album, and the four Beatles agree to meet for the first time in months on Friday, April 10, to discuss the “Let It Be” film. The same day, Paul’s press pack – which the other Beatles are unaware of – is delivered to the Apple press office, for distribution with the first 100 press copies of “McCartney”.

The press pack consists of the “McCartney” album, two photos, Paul’s notes on the tracks and a sheet of general information, plus a folder with a Q&A.

Mock-up of the contents of the “McCartney” press pack.

The next day, copies of Paul’s press release are hand-delivered to writers at the London Evening Standard (Ray Connolly) and the Daily Mirror (Don Short), who are told not to publish it for two more days. They both respect this, even though John Lennon had as early as in December 1969 confided in Connolly that he was quitting the Beatles.

The passage in the Q&A folder supplied with the “McCartney” press pack which is the basis of Short’s article and subsequent headline is the question about whether he is planning to compose more songs with Lennon.

Here is Don Short’s article in full from a later edition of the newspaper than the one on the top of the page:

Paul McCartney has quit the Beatles. The shock news must mean the end of Britain’s most famous pop group, which has been idolised by millions the world over for nearly ten years.
Today 28-year-old McCartney will announce his decision, and the reasons for it, in a no-holds-barred statement.

It follows months of strife over policy in Apple, the Beatles’ controlling organisation, and an ever-growing rift between McCartney and his songwriting partner, John Lennon.
McCartney and Lennon are rated one of the greatest popular songwriting teams of the century.
But there is little doubt that McCartney’s decision will bring it to an end.

Safe

In his statement, which consists of a series of answers to questions, McCartney says:
“I have no future plans to record or appear with The Beatles again. Or to write any more music with John”
Last night the statement was locked up in a safe at Apple’s headquarters in Savile Row, Mayfair – in the very rooms where the Beatles’ break-up began.
The Beatles decided to appoint a «business adviser». Eventually they settled for American Allen Klein.
His appointment was strongly resisted by Paul, who sought the job for his father-in-law, American attorney Lee Eastman.
After a meeting in London, Paul was out-voted 3-1 by the other Beatles, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
In his statement today, Paul will say what he feels about it all and his attitudes towards Mr. Klein.
Since the Klein appointment, Paul has refused to go to the Apple offices to work daily.
He kept silent and stayed at his St. John’s Wood home with his photographer wife, her daughter Heather and their own baby Mary.
He was obviously deeply cut up.
Close friends tried to pacify John and Paul. But August last year was the last time they were to work together – when they collaborated on the «Abbey Road» album.
One friend said: “The atmosphere is distinctly uncool. They do not hate one another. This is just deadlock over policy”.

Geniuses

Dick James, managing director of Northern Songs, publishers of the Lennon-McCartney songs, told me:
“It could mean that in competition with each other they will even write greater songs. They are both geniuses – Paul a melodic one and John in an inventive capacity.”
There were other elements that hastened Paul’s decision to quit. John Lennon, on his marriage to Yoko Ono, set out on projects of this own. Ringo went into films, and George stepped in as a record producer.
Today McCartney will reveal his own plans for a solo programme.
It will include a full length film based on the much-loved children’s book character Rupert.

Secret

But the very first project is an album of his own compositions.
It is simply called «McCartney» which he not only wrote, but produced entirely himself.
He played every instrument to be heard on the 14 tracks. His wife Linda added vocal harmonies.
The whole operation has been in secret. When the first 200 copies were pressed this week, McCartney collected them all from the factory – so they could not be “poached”.
By tomorrow hundreds of thousands will be rushed across the world. The first should reach Britain’s shops by Monday morning.

Don Short’s book

However, Short wrote in his autobiography that his ‘Paul Is Quitting The Beatles’ article was based on information from an insider, not on Paul’s Q&A. Don Short published his autobiography “Beatles and Beyond” in 2020 and passed away in 2023, at 90.

Here’s what Don wrote in 2020:

It was the night I was never going to forget. That momentous night April 9, 1970.
My world exclusive was splashed on the Daily Mirror’s front page: Paul Quits The Beatles.
Unimaginable drama was to unfold, and a world was left asking: “Where will we be without the Beatles?”
At the time I was the Mirror’s showbusiness columnist and as evening approached, I had just put on my coat and locked down my attache case when my office phone rang.
Instantly, I recognised the voice of one of my Beatles’ contacts. From the quiver in his tone, I knew he had something serious to impart.
Finally he stuttered: “Paul is quitting, Don. It’s definite. It’s all over. The Beatles are breaking up.
“Can you believe that?”
I slammed down the phone and called the home of a Beatles aide who was an executive of their Apple company.
There was some reluctance on his part to elaborate but, vitally, he confirmed the story.
In a bold typeface normally reserved for earthquakes, plane crashes and other disasters, the Mirror’s front page first edition broke the news: ‘Paul Is Quitting The Beatles’ and then in later editions: ‘Paul Quits The Beatles.’

So, in Short’s mind, the Q&A didn’t play an important part in his decision to break the news. Preserving the anonymity of his informants did, and thus Don Short’s article uses Paul’s Q&A as basis for the conclusion. Why, even fifty years on, Short didn’t disclose who he had gotten the information from. One quote in Short’s article in the Mirror may be from one of the informants: “The atmosphere is distinctly uncool. They do not hate one another. This is just deadlock over policy”. Also the information about the rift between Paul and the others regarding the appointment of Allen Klein may be from Apple insiders.

In 1982, Paul told a Canadian magazine that the McCartney Q&A was supplied because his advisor at Apple in the matter, Peter Brown had suggested it, and even formed the questions. This was later confirmed by Brown in his 1984 book “The Love You Make”. If you read the questionnaire, it is vague enough to prevent conclusively to say that the Beatles are splitting up, but can also be interpreted to say just that. Here are the questions in question:

Q: “Did you miss the other Beatles and George Martin? Was there a moment when you thought, ‘I wish Ringo were here for this break?'”

PAUL: “No.”

Q: “Are you planning a new album or single with the Beatles?”

PAUL: “No.”

Q: “Is this album a rest away from the Beatles or the start of a solo career?”

PAUL: “Time will tell. Being a solo album means it’s ‘the start of a solo career…’ and not being done with the Beatles means it’s just a rest. So it’s both.”

Q: “Is your break with the Beatles temporary or permanent, due to personal differences or musical ones?”

PAUL: “Personal differences, business differences, musical differences, but most of all because I have a better time with my family. Temporary or permanent? I don’t really know.”

Q: “Do you foresee a time when Lennon-McCartney becomes an active songwriting partnership again?”

PAUL: “No.”

Part of Paul’s Q&A

In the aftermath of the Daily Mirror article on April 10, Apple was keen to deny that Paul was quitting the Beatles.

Newspaper clipping from later in the day.