The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXIV, Part 1-2, 1976 - Khamkoo

38 Nicholas Tarling
The ex-King broke his public silence in 1941, at the time of the
Thailand-Indo-China peace conference in Tokyo.
Luang Pibul complained
that his statement was not consistent with the Thai policy of
•equal friendship with all friendly powers'.
King Prajadhipok had in
fact denied that Siam's policy was dictated by Japan, but suggested that
the protestations of friendship that Japan made bad earlier been made
to China too.
'Siam does not want to be under the direction of any
nation. I am sure that this is the policy of the present
Government. lt bas been the traditional policy of all the
Kings of Siam to be friendly with Great Britain and the
British Empire.
policy ....
That is the keystone of all Siamese foreign
'To me it would seem that Siam would be behaving
almost suicidally if she were to make herself Britain's
enemy.•t2S
The two parts of this statement had become more contradictory
than they had been in the heyday of Britain's power.
Then it had been
possible to be friendly with all, more friendly with Britain tban with
others, but not under Britain's direction. Now Thailand, like the rest
of the world, was adjusting to the decline of British power.
Tbat
decline had indeed accelerated while Thailand was still working through
the changes begun by the 1932 coup. Britain had met these changes by
acceptance, encouraged by its weakness, and that acceptance had
extended even to the Pibul regime.
That had not prevented Thai
politicians, including the King, from invoking or suspecting its influence.
The future of Thai politics was more profoundly affected by the advent
of Japanese and later of American power.
In domestic politics King
Prajadbipok bad failed to overturn the apple cart. In foreign policy he
could not inhibit jumping on the bandwagon.
125) Telegram, 1 March 1941, No. 151, F.O. 371/28135 (Fl467/438/40). Daily
Telegraph, 26 February 1941.