Whenever I read Paul's "self-interview" that came out with the McCartney album, I never read it as "the Beatles are breaking up." I felt like he sort of left it open. And I think in 1970, I would have thought that the guys were taking some time to work on their own projects, but would get back together in a few years as the Beatles and make another album. Who ever heard of a rock n roll band formally breaking up anyway? But Paul squashed all of that hope in this August 1970 letter to Melody Maker.