The Key to the South: Britain, the United States, and Thailand During the Approach of the Pacific War, 1929-1942

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Fifty years have passed since Thailand's 1942 declaration of war on Britain and the United States. This study examines the accelerating Western struggle with Japan for control over 'independent' Thailand, a country at the strategic crossroads of South-East Asia and recognized by the Great Powers as 'The Key to the South'. On the eve of Pearl Harbor this culminated in arguments between Roosevelt, Churchill, and Eden as to whether the West should attack or defend this neutral country. These efforts failed and instead Thailand seized the initiative, eventually extending her domain to encompass areas of Indo-China, Burma, and Malaya. This represented the fulfillment of pre-war Pan-Thai ambitions and also prefigured a controversial post-war settlement with the Allies. Thus, 1942, it is suggested, constitutes a critical moment in Thailand's relations with the West. The author also advances new arguments concerning the extent of Western influence in inter-war Thailand. The mechanisms of Britain's powerful informal influence are explored, concentrating on the role of foreign advisers to the Thai Government, and upon the techniques employed by the United States to undermine this pre-eminence. Paradoxically, it is argued, this Anglo-American rivalry did not prevent close Western co-operation in response to the challenge of Thai economic nationalism. Consequently, this study moves beyond the traditional diplomatic perspective, adopting a broad approach that encompasses the activities of banks, American oil companies, military planners, neighbouring colonial governments, and the British Special Operations Executive.

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