Despite policy support and market efforts by the United States,[11] the 1967 attack on the British pound and a run on gold forced the British government to devalue the pound on 18 November 1967, by 14.3%.[12][13] Further protective measures in the US tried to avert a continued run on gold and attacks on the US dollar. On 14 March 1968, a Thursday evening, the United States requested[4] of the British government that the London gold markets be closed the following day[14] to combat the heavy demand for gold. The ad-hoc declaration of the same Friday (March 15) as a bank holiday in England by the Queen upon petition of the House of Commons,[14] and a conference scheduled for the weekend in Washington, served the consideration of the international monetary situation and to reach a decision with regards to future gold policy.[10] The events of the weekend led the Congress of the United States to repeal the requirement for a gold reserve to back the US currency as of Monday, March 18, 1968.