Scathing letter from John Lennon to Sir Paul McCartney is going up for auction

The Beatles. From left: George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Paul McCartney. Photo / Supplied

A scathing letter from John Lennon to Sir Paul McCartney is going up for auction.

The late Beatles legend - who was shot dead in 1980 - wrote to his former bandmate days after the Live and Let Die hitmaker gave an interview critical of him and the Beatles in November 1971.

Now, TMZ has reported the scathing letter is expected to fetch at least US$30,000 ($48,048) when Gotta Have Rock and Roll auctions it off.

The typewritten letter - a copy of which was sent to the now-defunct Melody Maker magazine editor Richard Williams, who complied with Lennon's request to publish it - sees Lennon tell McCartney he is ungrateful for the money he receives from The Beatles and even accused his the musician of threatening their former bandmate Ringo Starr and his wife Maureen.

It read in part: "It's all very well playing 'simple, honest old' human Paul in the Melody Maker, but you know damn well we can't just sign a piece of paper.

"You say 'John won't do it.' I will if you'll indemnify us against the tax-man!'…

"As I/we've said many times – we'll meet you whenever you like. JUST MAKE UP YOUR MIND…

"You said under no condition would you sell to us, and if we didn't do what you wanted, you'd sue us again and that 'Ringo and George are going to break you John', etc., etc.

"Now I was quite straight with you that day, and you tried to shoot me down with your emotional 'logic'.

"If you're not the aggressor (as you claim), who the hell took us to court and s*** all over us in public?...

"Who's the guy threatening to 'finish' Ringo and Maureen, who was warning me on the phone two weeks ago? Who said he'd 'get us' whatever the cost? As I've said before – have you ever thought you might possibly be wrong about something?"

Elsewhere in the three-page letter, the Jealous Guy hitmaker urged McCartney to meet him without lawyers present, berated him for being indecisive over the band's split, which had occurred more than a year before the note was written, and took issue with his estranged pal's criticism of his song Imagine.

The note ended with a postscript in which Lennon referred to McCartney, mentioning leaving their wives, Linda McCartney and Yoko Ono, out of the dispute.

He wrote: "The bit that really puzzled us was asking to meet WITHOUT LINDA AND YOKO. I know you're camp! But let's not go too far! I thought you'd have understood by now that I'm JOHNANDYOKO."