§ Mr. Onslowasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why he has imposed restrictions on the publication of official papers relating to the transfer of power in Burma in 1948.
165W
§ Mr. LuardThe official documents relating to the transfer of power in Burma in 1948 fall within the thirty-year rule. They may not therefore be published without the authority of the Government.
As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister informed the House on 30th June, 1967, the official documents relating to the transfer of power in India are being published as an official series before the documents themselves are opened under the thirty-year rule. After careful consideration the Government have decided that a similar scheme would not be appropriate in the case of Burma. In view however of the great historical interest of the subject they have invited those people who played a prominent part in the events leading up to the transfer of power in Burma to write their recollections. Their manuscripts will be made available to hisorians when the official documents are opened to the public.—[Vol. 749, col. 147–8.]