The Albatross File: Inside Separation

by Susan Sim (Editor)

Sometime in 1964, Dr Goh Keng Swee created a file
code-named “Albatross” on Singapore’s increasingly
fraught relations with Kuala Lumpur.

In that file, he collected Cabinet papers as well as
his own handwritten notes of his conversations with
Malaysian leaders, leading to Singapore’s separation
from the federation. Almost all the material in the
Albatross file is being published here for the first
time, together with the oral history recollections of
Singapore’s founding leaders.

Singaporeans can read the thoughts, fears and hopes
of Mr Lee Kuan Yew and his comrades as they led the
island-city to unexpected independence on 9 August
1965. Refusing to be intimidated and heedless of the
personal risks they faced, they insisted on either a
Malaysian Malaysia or negotiated constitutional rearrangements.

As unexpected as it was — and for many of Singapore’s
leaders then, an outcome they did not wish —
Separation turned out to be “the best thing that ever
happened to Singapore”.

SUSAN SIM | EDITOR
Susan Sim has been a police officer, an intelligence
analyst, a foreign correspondent, a diplomat and a
counter-terrorism consultant.

Her biography of independent Singapore’s first Minister
for Law, EW Barker: The People’s Minister (Singapore:
Straits Times Press, 2016), won the Best Non-Fiction
Title at the 2017 Singapore Book Awards.

She also wrote two books on the National Crime
Prevention Council while serving as a board member,
and worked on the Singapore Police Force’s tribute
to its pioneers, Setia dan Bakti: 50 Stories of Loyalty
and Service.

She still writes the occasional commentary on terrorism
in Southeast Asia.

488 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2025

Reviews

[yuxuan · Rating 5 out of 5]

"those who cannot remember the past are d
condemned to repeat it" - santayana

i've been through a reading dry-spell since last year but i'm so back gng ^v^

the albatross file can be largely separated (aha) into two principal components: the rewritten version of singapore's separation from malaysia and the actual written documents from lee, goh, and other important figures from the concoction of singapore's independence.

as someone who conceptualised their love for reading through primary school social studies textbooks, this was a rather nostalgic read. the stories i was fed growing up now feels complete, with the hidden scheming, discussions, and forced agreements being put under the microscope of this hefty book.

of course, this book is probably not unbiased, but it does have what most autobiographical/history books lack - a new perspective. and ultimately, that's probably what you're paying for (unless you just like having thick books collect dust on your shelf, and in that case, this book is probably a 5/5)

i can't wait for new history textbooks to be published with this, and for new students to discover the magic treasure trove that is mid-20th century politics

[Joel Lim · Rating 5 out of 5]

They say to understand today, you have to understand history. I would say there’s no one true history, but it serves us better to appreciate the nuances in the stories we tell ourselves. How similar and different are two sides of a separation? Such is the complexity of human relationships — two can be friends, foes, family, opponents, colleagues, and rivals all at once. Sometimes it takes 60 years to begin uncovering the weeds of history as a society. An engrossing read that was almost lost to history. My wish is to lend such an exercise more credibility - that one day this investigation into our past can be done jointly with the Malaysians and neighbours.

[Arnoud De Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is indeed a very interesting set of chapters and files providing insight in first the merger of Singapore with the Malayan Federation and later on in 1965 the separation and independence of Singapore.
What emerges of these recently declassified files from the Singapore side is that both merger and separation were more complex than usually presented. The merger was a construct by the British who wanted to create a strong neighbor for then communist friendly Indonesia. It was strongly supported by a majority of Singapore citizens, who expected a lot from the economic integration. Malayan leaders were perhaps less excited about it, as they feared to be dominated by the Chinese ethnic majority in Singapore.
But the construct of Malaysia was fiddled with problems from its start as both the main Malay party and the non-communal Singapore based PAP wanted to dominate politics on the new country. The files on the separation reveal that the separation was not the "throwing out" of Singapore out of the Federation, but a concept that was carefully prepared by some leaders from both sides.
I enjoyed reading all these files and the explanatory chapters, as I am interested in the history of the country in which I am a permanent resident. I realise that for others the amount of information may be a bit too detailed. But anybody who is interested in nation building or the politics of S.E.Asia in the sixties will enjoy glancing through this book.
I had perhaps another reason why I read these files with interest: I am Belgian and my own country has gone through many discussions about whether it makes sense to keep the two communities (French speaking Walloons and Dutch speaking Flemish) together. The story of the separation between Malaysia and Singapore is very different from ours, as we stayed together by creating a very complex set of institutions to find a balance between the two communities. That could have been an alternative to the separation described in this book. But perhaps the separation was the best thing that ever occurred to Singapore. Perhaps to consider for Belgium....?

[Nicholas Koh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rich in historical details. The book is published like a collection of letters and documents and not in a narrative form.