Detailed Instructions: Given a passage and a question, find the answer to the question based on the passage. The answer should consist of only one word that lies in the span of only one of the sentences in the passage.
Q: Paragraph: By 1966 , the British government had come to the conclusion that it could no longer afford to govern what is now the United Arab Emirates . Much deliberation took place in the British parliament , with a number of MPs arguing that the Royal Navy would not be able to defend the Trucial Sheikhdoms . Denis Healey , who , at the time , was the UK Secretary of State for Defence , reported that the British Armed Forces were severely overextended , and in some respects , dangerously under - equipped to defend the Sheikhdoms . On 24 January 1968 , British Prime Minister Harold Wilson announced the decision to end the treaty relationships with the seven Trucial Sheikhdoms which had been , together with Bahrain and Qatar , under British protection . The British decision to withdraw was reaffirmed in March 1971 by Prime Minister Edward Heath .
Question: when did the united arab emirates gain independence

A:
1968