Abstract

Anglo-American Rivalry in Siam

Field Marshal Phibun Songgram, the strong man of Siam and its wartime military dictator, is assiduously studying English. The flexible Marshal began to learn the language when he was imprisoned briefly as a war criminal, and he has continued to study it since he overthrew the Thamrong Mahajchariyawong government in November 1947. Some people in Bangkok, Thailand are speculating whether he will speak with a British or an American accent. On the surface Anglo-American relations in Siam are cordial. Members of the diplomatic and business communities of the two nations mix amiably in the pool and on the tennis courts of the Royal Bangkok Sports Club. But beneath the surface a struggle is going on for Siam's rich exports. In challenging Britain's monopoly of Siam's exports the United States has derived some advantage from its more lenient attitude toward Siam's participation in the war on the side of Japan.