Gerald B. Clarke was the principal secretary to the Rhodesian Cabinet (under Prime Minister Ian Smith) throughout the existance of the Rhodesian Front Government (1964-1979). A close confidant of Prime Minister Smith, Clarke attended virtually every conference and Heads-of-Governments meetings that Smith attended throughout his tenure. Clarke organized and ran the sub-committee that drew up the Unilateral Declaration of Independence, which Smith and his cabinet signed on November 11, 1965. Thus he is regarded as the architect of the UDI. Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister A prime minister may be either: chief or leading member of the cabinet of the top-level government in a country having a parliamentary system of government; or the official, in countries with a semi-presidential system of government, appointed to manage the... Ian Smith on the cover of a 1965 TIME Magazine. ... The Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) was signed on November 11, 1965 by the white minority regime of Ian Smith, whose Rhodesian Front party opposed rushed moves by the United Kingdom towards black majority rule in the then British colony. ... November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 50 days remaining. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ...