I ended up keeping and reading And in the End, and I'm enjoying it so far. I just came across the following sentence about Timothy Leary:
In 1966, [Leary] had declared Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr to be like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse who would usher in a new world order. His precise words were: "I declare that The Beatles are mutants. Prototypes of evolutionary agents sent by God, endowed with a mysterious power to create a new human species, a young race of laughing freemen."
I always thought that the whole "Four Horsemen" thing was Charles Manson's schtick. I specifically recall reading in Helter Skelter that he believed that he and the four Beatles were actually the alleged "Five" Horsemen who would usher in a new world order. I suppose Manson got that from Timothy Leary, but I don't believe Vincent Bugliosi (author of Helter Skelter) ever mentioned this, which, if true, is an editorial oversight. I did not keep my copy of the book, so I can't verify this.
I just thought I'd throw that out there and see if anyone wanted to share their thoughts.
I'd highly recommend Helter Skelter (the book not the movie) to any Beatles fan. Despite its unsettling, tragic nature, the descriptions of Manson's twisted interpertations of the White Album songs would intrigue any Beatles fan, I believe. They certainly fascinated me.