§ 80. Colonel Beamishasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why the questions to be put to the electorate in the plebiscite in the Southern Cameroons before March, 1961, only give a choice between joining the Federation of Nigeria and the Republic of the Cameroons, thus precluding the choice of independence; what views Her Majesty's Government's representative expressed about this problem in the debates in the United Nations; and what reactions have been reported from the political leaders and other representative people in the Southern Cameroons.
§ 98. Mr. R. Edwardsasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how the United Kingdom representative at the United Nations General Assembly voted on the resolution regarding the political future of the Southern Cameroons; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodThe choice to be put in the plebiscite was determined by the United Nations after full discussion in which both the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition in the Southern Cameroons participated. The choice of independence separately from either Nigeria or the Cameroons Republic was not requested by the Cameroons leaders. The views expressed by the representative of Her Majesty's Government, who voted for the resolution adopted by the United Nations, were in accord with our policy that the choices should be those acceptable to the Cameroons leaders. We have no reports suggesting any subsequent change of view on their part.