The Disappearance of “Silk King” Jim Thompson
Thailand, “The Land of Smile”,
is the country where there are many precious national resources and products.
One of the outstanding products is the Thai silk. Thai silk is produced from
the silkworms. The texture of the silk is elegant and shiny when dyed. The silk
is also well known as being used for Thai loyal family’s garment. Once, James
H. W. Thompson, “Jim Thompson”, was transferred to Thailand in 1945 as the
Office of Strategy Service (OSS) after World War II (Alioto 1). He was
impressed with the Thai silk and started the company named “Jim Thompson”. He
revived the Thai silk business in Thailand. In 1967 on Easter day,
Thompson went missing while he was on the vacation with his friends at Cameron
Mountain in Malaysia. There were conspiracy theories behind the missing:
1.
Jim Thompson really walked into the forest and was eaten by the
wild animals.
2.
CIA discarded him after completed job as the OSS after World War
II, Vietnam War and Cold War.
3.
Thai Government or business rivals disposed of him.
Jim
Thompson was an encouraging and smart businessman. He was the American entrepreneur who saw opportunities and took a risk in the Thai silk business
after moving to Thailand at the end of the second World War (McKinsey 38). He
was very successful in producing and exporting Thai silk when there were many
Thai rivals. Stoddard claimed that Jim Thompson thought that Thai Silk cloth
was not the out-of-date look, but luxurious. He tried to retain the traditional
weaving style, at the same time, improve the excellence and increase its value
(Stoddard 2). He persuaded the cloth industry’s business people around the
world to recognize Thai silk as the gorgeous, and high-quality cloth. Jim
Thompson’s brand specialist, Mike Murphy supported, “Thompson transformed it
into a sought-after luxury fabric in the 1950’s, by convincing Hollywood
costume designers to use his iridescent, stubby fabric” (McKinsey 38). Stoddard mentioned Stephanie Zollinger,
professor of interior design at the University of Minnesota, who stated that
Jim Thompson totally assisted in reviving Thailand’s fabric business economy
(Stoddard 2). In 1962, King Rama IX of
Thailand rewarded Jim Thompson the Exalted Order of White Elephant medal for
developing the Thai silk industry (Kurlantzick “The Ideal Man” 154). Jenkins
claimed that he was well-known as the “Thai Silk King” in Thailand and all
around the world. He was called the American millionaire in Bangkok. His life’s
stories were seen on various publications (Jenkins 2).
Jim Thompson, who was a member of
Office of Strategy Service (OSS) – CIA spy, was talented in architecture. He
attended the University of Pennsylvania, the school of Architecture, but never
received the degree. However, in 1930’s, he moved to New York to practice in
the architecture field (Toulmin “The Disappearance of Jim Thompson” 16).
Jenkins stated that Jim Thompson and four partners bought the Oriental Hotel in
Bangkok in 1946 which was once an extravagant old palace. It appeared that Jim
Thompson renovated the hotel by himself (Jenkins 3). He also had a passion in
artistic works. He was the Southeast Asian art collector (Stoddard 2). He was
fond of traditional Thai paintings which were almost vanishing at that time.
The art collections then turned out to be the world’s most magnificent pieces
(Jenkins 3). Once, Jim Thompson was inspected by the Thai government who
claimed that he stole the national ancient Buddha heads and wanted him to
return to the Thai government. Jim Thompson designed and built his Thai Teak
house in Thailand from the ancient fragmented Thai palaces that had not been
seen before in Bangkok (3). Toulmin
supported that “He collected Asian art and antique houses, and assembled six of
the houses into a fabulous home and museum, stuffed with art, which is one of
the top tourist attractions in Thailand” (Toulmin “Travel Tales” 2).
Jim Thompson was a skillful and
fearless military man. He resigned from the CIA where he was a spy but worked
secretly during the Cold War and Vietnam War. Kurlantzick also stated in “What
Made the Spooks Disappear” that the United States had never seen the spies with
similar disposition as Jim Thompson because he kept secrets and did not tell
anyone he met in his life that he was a spy. He used his fabulous house for
dinners, escorting to many important and well-known people. Apparently, they
were CIA officers, military commanders of the United State, or even Thai
politicians (Kurlantzick “What Made the Spook Disappear” 1). Toulmin stated
that he was first a soldier in 1940, and only in a year he was promoted to
Lieutenant, working in the Us Army Coastal Artillery Command for the United
States (CAC; from OSS/CIA FOIA). After that, he attended the Office of
Strategic Service, the precursor for the CIA (OSS). He went to many countries
during World War II and worked in France, Balkan, Ceylon and Thailand. Toulmin
mentioned that “This service almost certainly included training and activities
in hand to hand fighting, evasion and escape, jungle warfare, explosives, and
spying and sabotage behind enemy lines. It is documented that he was certified
during the war in the use of a Colt .45 pistol and a machine gun” (Toulmin “The
Appearance of Jim Thompson” 18). Warren supported that when Jim Thompson was in
Ceylon, he received parachute training for landing in the forest of Thailand.
His mission was to assist Thai people to fight with the Japanese during World
War II. However, the mission was cancelled because Japan surrendered. He
finally travelled to Thailand as a spy by using his tourist visa (Warren
42-43). Toulmin said that Jim Thompson received five Bronze Stars for his OSS
service and achievements (Toulmin “The Appearance of Jim Thompson” 18).
The first conspiracy theory
assumed that Jim Thompson disappeared Easter morning in March 1967 by his
morning walk when visiting his friends at the Cameron Highland, the central of
Malaysia. Kurlantzick stated in “What Made the Spooks Disappear” that Jim
Thompson left for hiking on Easter morning at the country’s Cameron Highlands
(Kurlantzick “What Made the Spook Disappear” 3). However, it was unusual to Jim
Thompson, who had a slew of medical issues, “intermittent gall bladder attacks
and amoebic dysentery”, and smoked, left his medicines and cigarettes behind.
(3). Jim Th
The second conspiracy theory is
the CIA discarded Thompson after he completed his job as the Office of Strategy
Service (OSS) after World War II, Vietnam War and Cold War. Kurlantzick said
that Jim Thompson arrived in Bangkok after the end of World War II. He still
worked as a freelance spy even though he resigned from the position
(Kurlantzick “What Made the Spook Disappear” 1). In his article, Kurlantzick
also stated that the CIA had less power after the Cold War and World War II;
therefore, there was a reduction in the intelligence officers (1). It was
also suspicious that Jim Thompson used his Bangkok house as the hub for
exchanging the secret information and entertained the high-ranking officers
from the US Army. On the other hand, there was the news that he trafficked arms
to some of the fighter squads in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Indonesia who
fought against the U.S later during the Vietnam War interests (Kurlantzick
“What Made the Spook Disappear” 2). The survey conducted at the college of the
Mainland with the employees and students, indicated that forty percent of
people thought that Jim Thompson was discarded by the U.S. Government after
completing the mission.
The last conspiracy theory
assumed that Thai Government protested the foreigners to own the massive
amounts of national ancient arts or the business’s rivals got rid of him. Jim
Thompson owned three Thai ancient Bhudda heads. The Director-General of the
Fine Arts Department of the Royal Thai Government, Dhanit Yupo, seized them
from him (Galleher 188). That director claimed that Thompson appropriated the
heads illegally. Although the director promised to return those ancient
artifacts, but he never did. This made Jim Thompson very angry. Since then,
they were enemies (188). In the report of “The Disappearance of Jim Thompson”,
Toulmin stated that The Director-General of the Fine Arts Department posted in
the Thai local newspaper after Jim Thompson’s appearance that “there are many
foreigners who are destroying Buddha images and antiques, and among them was
Jim Thompson, the Thai silk king who disappeared in Malaysia” (Toulmin “The
Disappearance of Jim Thompson” 27). Since Jim Thompson as the very successful
foreigner in Thailand, there were many Thai silk business rivals wanting to
have a piece of the market share. Kurlantzick stated that Madam Sarit, the wife
of Marshal Sarit (the previous Prime Minister of Thailand) who owned the Star
of Siam, the Thai silk business, once tried to illegally attack Jim Thompson’s
weavers (Kurlantzick 153). Toulmin supported in his research that “This lady
may be the only possible enemy identified by Jim Thompson’s brother Henry B.
Thompson in his interview with the FBI, in which he stated that ‘perhaps the
owner of the Star of Siam…silk dress manufacturer’ was an enemy, since this
company ‘was very interested in expanding and acquiring Jim Thompson’s
company’” (Toulmin “The Disappearance of Jim Thompson” 25). The survey
conducted at the college of the Mainland with the employees and students, revealed
that forty-eight percent of people though that Jim Thompson was assassinated by
Thai government or business rivals in Thailand.
It has been sixty-one years
since Jim Thompson disappeared on Easter morning in March 1967 during his
morning walk when visiting his friends at the Cameron Highland, the central of
Malaysia. Jim Thompson who was successful in his military career, was
promoted to the 2nd Lieutenant after joining the military for a
year. He also he was transferred to word with the OSS (Office of Strategic
Services, the forerunner of the CIA). Furthermore, he was the first successful
expat in Thailand in Thai silk business, and his company has been well-known
around the world as the name “Jim Thompson”. After examining, the results
of his disappearance led to two possible conspiracy theories:
- Jim Thompson really walked
into the forest and was eaten by the wild animals.
- CIA discarded him
after completed job as the OSS after World War II, Vietnam War
and Cold War.
- Thai Government or
business rivals disposed of him.
It is obvious that Jim Thompson company’s
management team in Thailand tried not to offer the information about his
disappearance.
Work Cited
Galleher, Martha. The Missing Thai Silk King: A Niece's Search for
Jim Thompson. 1st ed., 2007.
Jenkins, Mark. "Princeton Alumni Weekly: PawPlus." The
Saga of the Thai Silk King, Princeton University,www.princeton.edu/paw/web_exclusives/plus/plus_102302thaisilk.html.
Kurlantzick, Joshua. The Ideal Man: The Tragedy of Jim Thompson
and the American Way of War. John Wiley & Sons, 2011.
Kurlantzick, Joshua. (2011, Nov 21). "What Made the Spooks
Disappear: They were simultaneously shadowy and larger than life--but now
they're gone." Newsweek, 158, https://ezproxy.com.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/904132423?accountid=7022
McKinsey, Kitty. "Silk Trader Takes a New Road." Far
Eastern Economic Review, vol. 164, no. 29, 2001, pp. 38-39. ProQuest,
https://ezproxy.com.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/208224687?accountid=7022.
Stoddard, Scott. "The Spy Who Spun Thai Silk."
Investor's Business Daily, Mar 25, 2009. ProQuest,https://ezproxy.com.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1012406611?accountid=7022.
Toulmin, Liewellyn. "The Disappearance of Jim Thompson the
"Silk King of Thailand" - A Search and Rescue Analysis." The
Most Traveled Man on Earth,
themosttraveled.com/The%20Disappearance%20of%20Jim%20Thompson%20FINAL%20redacted.pdf
Toulmin, Liewellyn. "Searchers for the ‘Silk King of
Thailand’”— Generals, Gurkhas, Boy Scouts, Dogs, and 118 Psychics Part 2."
The Most Traveled Man on Earth,
themosttraveled.com/NewLand/Jim%20Thompson%20story%20part%202.pdf.
Toulmin, Liewellyn. "The Search for Jim Thompson: Causes,
Witnesses, the Way Forward, and A Murder Part 4." The Most Traveled Man on
Earth, themosttraveled.com/NewLand/Jim%20Thompson%20story%20part%204.pdf.
Toulmin, Llewellyn. “Travel Tales: The Exotic Life and Mysterious
Disappearance of the “Silk King of Thailand” Part 1.” “The Most Travelled Man
on Earth”,
http://themosttraveled.com/NewLand/Jim%20Thompson%20story%20part%201.pdf
Warren, William. Jim Thompson: The Unsolved Mystery. 2nd ed.,
Editions Didier Millet, 1998.
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