 The Southern Rhodesians presumed that in the event of Federal dissolution, they would be first in line for independence, and would receive it without major adjustments to their 1961 constitution. Indeed, intergovernmental correspondence during early 1963 did much to confirm Salisbury's belief that this was the case. While Federal break-up talks progressed, Sandys issued a letter of intent in which he said that powers conferred on the Federal government by British legislation would transfer to Southern Rhodesia at the end of Federation. It was agreed that Salisbury would keep the Federal overseas missions in Pretoria and Lourenço Marques, as well as the British Embassy desks in Bonn, Tokyo and Washington. Arrangements for Federal dissolution concluded in mid-1963, and the Federation formally ended on 31 December that year. Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland became independent during 1964, respectively renamed Zambia and Malawi, under black majority governments. Southern Rhodesia was denied the same on the grounds that whites held too dominant a position, prompting indignation and fury from the governing Rhodesian Front (RF) and its supporters. Prime Minister Winston Field's failure to secure independence from Britain during early 1964 led to his forced resignation and replacement by his deputy, Ian Smith, in April that year.
