The discrepancy between the de facto start up of Vrije Universiteit Brussel and its official birth date is remarkably linked to the hoopla around the splitting of Leuven University. On April 24th, 1969 a proposed law on the proper legal position of VUB (and ULB) was already drafted. But the former government wanted to deal with the issue of the Brussels and Leuven universities together. ULB and VUB however decided not to wait and split - or double, as it was called at the time - outside the law. Not that it required taking a big risk: then minister of National Education was ULB professor Piet Vermeylen. He guaranteed both universities separate government subsidies, independent of the awarding of legal status.
The foundation of VUB is furthermore closely linked to Belgian history as a whole. Interested in more insights into the matter? You can always pay a visit to CAVA, the Center for Academic and Humanistic Archives, that is located on the Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus of VUB in Etterbeek. A nice article (in the Dutch language) on the intercession of the history of Vrije Universiteit Brussel and that of Belgium can also be found in the digital library for Dutch linguistics.