Thailand's Secret War
Thailand's Secret War
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This book is an absorbing account of secret operations and political intrigue in wartime Thailand. During World War II Free Thai organisations co-operated with Allied intelligence agencies in an effort to rescue their nation from the consequences of its 1941 alliance with Japan. They largely succeeded despite internal differences and the conflicting interests and policies of their would-be-allies, China, Great Britain and the United States. London's determination to punish Thailand placed the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) at a serious disadvantage in its rivalry with the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The US State Department, in contrast, strongly supported OSS operations in Thailand, viewing them as a vehicle for promoting American political and economic influence in mainland Southeast Asia. Declassification of the records of the OSS and the SOE permits full revelation of this complex story of heroic action and political intrigue.
- An accessible history of the clandestine activities and rivalry of the Office of Strategic Services and the Special Operations Executive in Thailand during the Second World War
- A major contribution to the history of wartime diplomacy in the Asian theatre
- Makes extensive use of declassified American and British documents to reveal formerly secret intelligence operations
Reviews & endorsements
"Compared to the campaigns in the Pacific, the Southeast Asian campaigns of World War II have received limited attention in military history (the possible exception being the campaign in Burma). In his second book on the role of Thailand in the war, Dr. Reynolds has provided a well-written and fascinating addition to the relatively small body of scholarship in this area."
-Phillip J. Ridderhof, U.S. Marine Corps, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan, H-War
"With Thailand's Secret War, Reynolds proves that he is a dean among scholars of intelligence in the Far East during the Second World War. His exhaustive archival research and exploitation of untapped sources have produced a landmark work that is geared towards serious students of both intelligence and the Second World War in the Far East."
-Studies in Intelligence
"Thailand's Secret War is engaging, well documented, and includes an especially thought-provoking epilogue...a balanced and nuanced account." - Military History, Barry M. Stentiford, Grambling State University
"Reynolds has researched this fascinating story with meticulous care. The evidence is marshalled clearly and the result is a first-rate case study."
The International Historical Review
"Dr. Reynolds has provided a well-written and fascinating addition to the relatively small body of scholarship in this area.... This was a very engaging read... It is also a valuable history to help understand the present state of Thailand and Southeast Asia."
H-War , Phillip J. Ridderhof, U.S. Marine Corps, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan
"Professor Reynolds has scoured archives, libraries and collections of private papers from all over the world. He has conducted dozens of interviews with survivors. He loves the stories he has unearthed and has befriended an enormous, colourful cast of characters. Thailand's Secret War will certainly be the definitive book on the subject" Pacific Affairs David Chandler, Monash University
"Thailand's Secret War is the most detailed work yet published on the published on the intricate political and strategic issues intertwined with Thailand's participation in World War II...Reynold's immensely valuable research and use of first-hand sources provides a superb and absorbing account of how and why the Seri Thai movement achieved its goal. "
John B. Haseman, Journal of Cold War Studies
Product details
- Published: May 2005
- Format: Adobe eBook Reader
- ISBN: 9780511079504
- Length: 0 pages
- Weight: 0kg
- Availability: This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.
Table of Contents
- List of illustrations
- List of maps
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Notes on names and transliteration
- Prologue
- 1. The origins of the Free Thai Movement
- 2. The China tangle
- 3. Chamkat and the Allies
- 4. Showdown in Friendship Valley
- 5. Frustrated hopes
- 6. Contact at last
- 7. The OSS commits to Pridi
- 8. Pridi's bid for national redemption
- 9. Arming and training the underground
- 10. The end game
- Epilogue
- Bibliography
- Index.
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