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

A~IEHICAN DIPLOMATS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 101
King's term in Bangkok belongs mainly to the twentieth century,
but several political and economic developments of significance took
place during his first years in Siam. One of his first despatches from
Bangkok was the not unexpected news that Siam would remain neutral
in the Spanish-American War. In another despatch King noted
Siam's uneasiness under extraterritorial jurisdiction when
she realizes her own progress and Japan's recently acquired
freedom.
He attributed Siam's increasing assertiveness in part to23 o
The fact that Great Britain's policy here is to sacrifice the
individual subjects' rights and to yield on minor affairs that
she may appear in contrast with her rival the French who
perhaps are at times open to the criticism of severity.
The rivalry between Great Britain and France, King believed, had given
Germany an opportunity to compete with the other Western powers for
economic and political influence in Siam, and with considerable success
in both fields,23! American trade meanwhile languished, but King held
out the same optimistic prospects for the Siam market which so many
of his predecessors has touted,232 He sent the .Department of State a
clipping from the Siam Free Press which noted that in 1899 the United
States had for the first time surpassed Great Britain in export trade, an9
declared the United States now to be the leading commercial nation of
the world. As evidence of America's changed role the paper cited her
new colonial policy, programs to build up the ~rmy, navy, and merchant
marine, and American determination to construct as Isthmian canaJ.23 3
King was also involved in long exchanges with the Thai Government
over an alleged clerk's error in the computation of the Cheek
·award,234 and he advised the Thai Government on the development of
230) Siam Despatches, December 21, 1899.
231) Siam Despatches, October 29, 1900.
232) Siani Despatches, June 20, 1900;
233) Siam Despatches, July 11, 1900.
234) Cf. Siam Despatches, December 29, 1899• T)!.e Siam Free Press published a
"muddled" account from theW ashington Times in which it was alleged that a
campaign of vilification against Minister King in Bangkok was being directed
by Ba'rrett and Cheek (Siam Despatches, ·oecember 2, 1898). Barrett and King
were apparently on good terms, and Cheek had been dead sirice 1895.