A Moment of Anguish captures the dramatic events leading to the historic separation of Singapore from Malaysia. This work goes beyond other studies to unravel the hidden story behind this traumatic and controversial episode in Singapore's recent history. Unpublished sources have been combined to highlight the key events of the period: the "snap" election in Singapore in 1963, the controversial participation of the People's Action Party in the Federal elections of 1964, the two race riots in Singapore in 1964, the formation of the Malaysian Solidarity Convention and the secret negotiations for disengagement. Also, new insights into the principal personalities and the circumstances of the time are offered.