An American Legend

Jim Thompson.  You may not have heard of his name before.  Why would you?  He hasn't  been around for the last forty years.  And before that, he hadn't even lived in America since the '40s.  But just like anything from long ago, his story is worth revisiting.  If not only for a good story, but also to discover its relevance in our own lives.  In this day and age where the world seems smaller and the borders appear limitless, we feel interconnected yet alone more than ever before.  We find it difficult to find our own place in this fast-paced and continually shifting world.  Ironically enough, this is exactly what Thompson was grappling with nearly a half a century ago.

Thompson at work in his study 1967

Thompson led a seemingly ordinary life in the US as an architect in New York until he decided to join the National Guard in 1940.  Despite America's isolationist ideals at the time, the drumbeats of war were beginning to crescendo.  Soon after, he was sent overseas never to return, just like thousands of other young patriots.  But Thompson's story was different.  

This endearing, gentle man became an agent for the Office of Strategic Services (the precursor to the CIA), and participated in campaigns in North Africa and southern Europe.  Towards the end of the war, he trained alongside freedom fighters to work behind enemy lines in Japanese occupied Indochina.  With the dropping of the nuclear bombs though, Thompson's mission quickly changed from infiltration to mediation.  

Thompson parachuted into Thailand two days after the Japanese surrender and set up shop with other OSS agents in a dilapitated Thai palace.  On his frequent visits upcountry to Northern Thailand and Laos, Thompson became enamored with the local silk industry.  Known as  a domestic, "cottage" industry, the silk that the weavers produced was used for daily and ceremonial purposes, but being the true designer that he was, Thompson saw something more.

For those who knew Thompson, it may not have been any surprise that he immersed himself in this new venture.  Commissioning local weavers and selling their wares at tourist locales in Bangkok and then eventually overseas, Thompson and his Thai Silk Company was instrumental in adding a new dimension to the fashion industry. 

Soon known as the "silk king," Thompson became the go-to expat in Bangkok.  After completing his classic teak Thai-style bungalow and filling it with one of the finest collections of Southeast Asian art of the time, he invited guests almost nightly to come dine with him on his terrace overlooking the klong in front of his house.  It was at these magical parties that the "silk king" was holding court, often regaling his guests of his adventures upcountry or simply exchanging the news of the day.

Arguably the most compelling aspect of Thompson's story is its abrupt ending.  While on a long Easter weekend with friends in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia in 1967, Thompson simply disappeared.  After returning from a picnic, his friends decided to take a rest while he went out for a walk, never to be seen again.  A massive manhunt, a company reward, and  interventions from a string of mystics yielded no clues to his whereabouts.  There have been a number of theories about what happened to him, but to this day, nobody knows what exactly took place on that fateful Sunday afternoon.

Gold Pavilion at Jim Thompson's House

What's more intriguing than any one of the many events in Thompson's life is the nature of the man himself.  He had a way about him that his closest confidants and brief acquaintances all noted.  As one friend put it, whether you were a prince or a pauper, a movie star or a local weaver, Thompson always made you feel as though that moment he was spending with you was the most important moment in his life.   

Through his love of the Thai culture, Thompson not only  introduced one of this region's treasured people to the greater world, he also instilled a sense of creative appreciation and cultural identity in the Thais, known for their quiet, reserved nature, themselves.


With the Thai silk industry stronger than ever, the countless Thai Silk Company outlets across the world, his home that has become a necessary stop for tourists in Bangkok, and the stories that continue to be passed down through family members and dear friends, Jim Thompson's legacy still lives on after all these years.





Images from: 
Jim Thompson:   www.jimthompsonhouse.com
Gold Pavilion:  ryanjamesanderson (flickr creative commons)