The Jim Thompson myth

The life of Jim Thompson in Thailand is almost legendary. If you have been to Thailand, then that name is known and you also know a bit about what he has done.

This American came to Bangkok towards the end of the Second World War, in the service of the predecessor of the CIA. He gained a reputation as a host, bon vivant, aesthete and art collector. He started a glamorous silk business, which still bears his name, and built a house that is still a major tourist attraction in Bangkok. In 1967, he mysteriously disappeared, which naturally contributed to the growing legend about him.

A new book has been released by Joshua Kurlantzick, a political analyst of Southeast Asia, which, while painting a more in-depth portrait of Thompson, adds to the mystery in a context of the Cold War in the United States and Southeast Asia.

Talented

Thompson was born into a wealthy family on the East Coast and spent his childhood in a fairly relaxed manner, moving in "socialist" circles on top of that. In his mid-thirties, he realized that he was slipping away from society and desperately looked for a job that would allow him to play a role in World War II. With some luck, but also because of his proven talent in training - something that people would hardly have thought possible given his earlier life - he got a good job with the OSS, the forerunner of the CIA and left for Thailand when the war ended.

The Americans were seen as liberators of Thailand, lived in beautiful houses and met many important people. American policy was made on the spot, because in fact Americans knew very little about Thailand. In this space of thought, Thompson and other pioneers had the opportunity to establish contacts with the nationalists and idealists in order to work towards a new post-colonial era of freedom and democracy.

Thompson befriended Pridi Banomyong and had contacts with proto-revolutionaries in Indo-China, including Ho Chi Minh. He also started a business in silk fabrics. However, that vague period in American politics did not last long. By the 1950s, the thought in Washington was that those who believed in freedom and equality were likely to be or would become communists. American policy then focused on restoring and supporting the old military regimes to eliminate those "communists". Thompson lost more and more support from the CIA from 1947, how exactly is not entirely clear. His political contacts in Bangkok were either driven into exile (like Pridi) or simply killed.

The American still protested against a political decision that eventually led to the Vietnam War, but he increasingly became a burden on the CIA. An investigation was also launched into his “un-American activities”, but no charges resulted. Thompson did well through the XNUMXs mainly due to the rising fame and profitability of his silk business, but also due to his reputation as an esthete, host, art collector and his "personality".

Contrast

In some of the best passages of this book, Kurlantzick contrasts the methods of Thompson and one Willis Bird. Bird had no political affiliation and was willing to mediate between Washington and anyone else. He became the favored errand boy of Thailand's military dictators, doing the dirty work of the Indochina War and keeping Washington out of the wind. Bird was the quiet but ugly American, while Thompson's role became less and less due to his openness. Bird grew rich and lived to a very old age, while Thompson's life collapsed like a house of cards.

By the 1960s, the scenic Bangkok that Thompson loved so much had changed with American support. His beloved Laos was bombed flat by the Americans. His silk business was beset by competitors and rip-off artists. By the mid-XNUMXs he had become sickly, depressed and short-tempered.

Speculations

Kurlantzick has no new evidence for his sudden disappearance, but he does have a nice overview of the extraordinary attention his disappearance received. He questions a rumor that he died in an accident, given that none of the many searches turned up any evidence for this. He also practically rules out suicide. He tends to believe that he has simply been eliminated by business or political enemies. With some innuendo, he points his finger at the CIA, which never released Thompson's file. Kurlantzick does not consider whether Thompson disappeared of his own accord, although the book does give some hints in that direction.

Kurlantzick gives a lot of new ones information from interviews with survivors from the circles surrounding Thompson and from private documents. The business, political and personal parts of the plot are neatly intertwined, making the book very readable in a relaxing way. He suggests that Thompson's idealistic view of the role of the United States in Southeast Asia has now come true. Although this is a very pleasant book, which depicts Thompson's personality in more depth, there are also many vague passages that will not be important for the preservation of the legend.

The book (272 pages) is called: The Ideal man, the tragedy of Jim Thompson and the American Way of War and was therefore written by Joshua Kurlantzick. The publisher is: John Wiley & Sons Inc, New Jersey, 2011. Available from Kinokuniya and Asia Books for 825 Baht. ISBN: 978-0-470-08621-6. In the Netherlands, the book is available at Bol.com: www.bol.com

This concise review was written by historian Chris Baker and recently published in The Bangkok Post.

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