About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherCambridge University Press

ISBN-100521143373

ISBN-139780521143370

eBay Product ID (ePID)102850601

Product Key Features

Number of Pages484 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication NameThailand's Secret War : Oss, Soe and the Free Thai Underground During World War II

Publication Year2010

SubjectAsia / Southeast Asia, Military / World War II, Modern / 20th Century, International Relations / General

TypeTextbook

AuthorE. Bruce Reynolds

Subject AreaPolitical Science, History

SeriesCambridge Military Histories Ser.

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height1.2 in

Item Weight25.2 Oz

Item Length9 in

Item Width6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceScholarly & Professional

Reviews'Is an enjoyable account of the differing agendas of the British and American agents who jockeyed for post-war advantage in the country.' Kansai Time Out, 'The book is an exemplar of close-knit historical investigation ... the author is to be congratulated on a fine intellectual effort.' Asian Affairs, '... the tangled history of the covert operations in Thailand carried out by the SOE, the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and the Free Thai Underground, which is meticulously unravelled by E. Bruce Reynolds in Thailand's Secret War.' Tribune, "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, Review of the hardback: '... the tangled history of the covert operations in Thailand carried out by the SOE, the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and the Free Thai Underground, which is meticulously unravelled by E. Bruce Reynolds in Thailand's Secret War.' Tribune, "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, "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, "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, "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, Review of the hardback: 'Is an enjoyable account of the differing agendas of the British and American agents who jockeyed for post-war advantage in the country.' Kansai Time Out, "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, Review of the hardback: 'The book is an exemplar of close-knit historical investigation ... the author is to be congratulated on a fine intellectual effort.' Asian Affairs, "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

Dewey Edition22

IllustratedYes

Dewey Decimal940.53/593

Table Of ContentList 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.

SynopsisDespite its 1941 alliance with Japan, Thai leaders managed to establish clandestine relations with China, Britain and the United States, each of which had ambitions for postwar influence in Bangkok. Based largely on recently declassified intelligence records, this narrative history thoroughly explores these relations, details Allied secret operations and sheds new light on the intense rivalry between the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS)., 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., This book is an absorbing account of secret operations and political intrigue in wartime Thailand. It sheds light on Thailand's clandestine relations with Britain, the United States and China, each of which had ambitions for post-war influence in Bangkok, and on the rivalry between the SOE and the OSS.

LC Classification NumberD802.T5R49 2010