452. Editorial Note

On February 8, representatives of the Federation of Malaya signed an agreement in London with officials of the Colonial Office [Page 762] which established the prospective date for Malayan independence as August 31, 1957. By the terms of the agreement, the elected officials of the Federation assumed responsibility for internal security, finance, commerce, and industry, and a constitutional commission was established to facilitate the transition to independence. On February 16, the Department of State released a statement expressing the “great satisfaction” with which the United States viewed the agreement providing for early independence for the Federation of Malaya. (Department of State Bulletin, February 27, 1956, page 347)