NLB to launch Albatross File exhibition featuring documents on S'pore independence from Dec. 7

The National Library Board (NLB) is set to unveil a permanent exhibition on The Albatross File: Singapore's Independence Declassified from Dec. 7, 2025.

Members of the public can look forward to accessing original documents detailing the decisions and negotiations that led to Singapore's separation from Malaysia in 1965.

The exhibition, which will be permanently housed in the National Library at 100 Victoria Street, was announced in a speech by the Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo at the Donors' Appreciation Night 2025 on Oct. 24.

Albatross File includes notes between Goh Keng Swee and Lee Kuan Yew

The exhibition is part of NLB's efforts to deepen public understanding of the nation's birth in conjunction with the SG60 commemorations.

"This being the year of SG60, there's renewed interest in the story of our birth," Teo said.

A collection of files, namely the Albatross File, consisting of original papers, handwritten notes, and confidential Cabinet documents, will be displayed to the public.

These documents were kept by founding leader and former deputy prime minister Goh Keng Swee between 1964 and 1965.

The collection captures pivotal moments in Singapore's political history, highlighting internal deliberations, diplomatic communications, and the decisions made in the lead-up to independence.

It was later transferred to the National Archives in 1996, and has been preserved in controlled conditions for almost 30 years.

Visitors to the exhibition will see original artefacts such as handwritten notes between Goh and founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, Cabinet papers discussing policy deliberations, and first-person narratives of founding fathers and others involved.

Many of these items will be on public display for the first time.

Same-titled book to be released alongside exhibition

A new book, also titled The Albatross File, will be launched in conjunction with the exhibition.

Spanning 488 pages, the book is organised into three parts:

• Historical introductions by Professor Tan Tai Yong and Professor Albert Lau, who provide context to the events leading to merger and separation.

• Primary documents: 23 declassified papers from the Albatross File, cross-referenced with contemporaneous international records.

• Oral histories: Dramatic firsthand accounts from Goh Keng Swee, Lee Kuan Yew and his wife Kwa Geok Choo, presented to the public for the first time.

Honouring Goh Keng Swee's role in establishing Singapore

Teo also emphasised Goh's central role in establishing Singapore's many foundations such as defence, finance, and more.

"We owe much to Dr Goh whose hard-headed policies gave us much of the firm foundations we have in our defence, finance, economy, education, and even our cultural life. But none of these would have come to pass had we not become an independent nation."

Teo concluded: "The story of Singapore's birth is as unexpected as it is remarkable. It is a story that deserves to be told again and again, through different lenses."

Top photos via Google Maps & National Archives of Singapore