The ideal man
Subtitle: the tragedy of Jim Thompson and the American way of war
By: Joshua Kurlantzick
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Hoboken, NJ
Language: eng
Number of pages: 264
ISBN-13: 9780470086216
Subjects: Disappeared persons; Cold War; Businessmen; HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century; Silk industry; Foreign relations; Biography
Description: "How the West's greatest spy in Asia tried to stop the new American way of war--and the steep price he paid for failingJim Thompson landed in Thailand at the end of World War II, a former American society dilettante who became an Asian legend as a spy and silk magnate with access to Thai worlds outsiders never saw. As the Cold War reached Thailand, America had a choice: Should it, as Thompson believed, help other nations build democracies from their traditional cultures or, as his ex-OSS friend Willis Bird argued, remake the world through deception and self-serving alliances? In a story rich with insights and intrigue, this book explores a key Cold War episode that is still playing out today.  Highlights a pivotal moment in Cold War history that set a course for American foreign policy that is still being followed today  Explores the dynamics that put Thailand at the center of the Cold War and the fighting in neighboring Laos that escalated from sideshow to the largest covert operation America had ever engaged in  Draws on personal recollections and includes atmospheric details that bring the people, events--and the Thailand of the time--to life  Written by a journalist with extensive experience in Asian affairs who has spent years investigating every aspect of this story, including Thompson's tragic disappearance  "--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.