1975 Japan Air Lines Pictorial Tourist Map of Bangkok, Thailand

Democratization, Demilitarization, and Tourism.

This is a scarce 1975 pictorial city plan of Bangkok, Thailand, produced by Japan Air Lines (JAL) and intended for American businessmen and tourists. It echoes larger historical trends, particularly the mid-1970s recession and the early stages of Thailand's successful campaign to market itself as an international tourist destination.

A Closer Look

The main part of Bangkok is displayed alongside the Chao Phraya River. Major streets, attractions, and institutions are labeled with both Japanese and English names, and in many cases, they are also illustrated. Museums, parks, railway stations, major hotels, and royal palaces are indicated, as are Buddhist temples and shrines, including Wat Phra Kaew, the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. The Democracy Monument, located to the left, was built in 1939 to commemorate the 1932 coup that led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy. It has served as a rallying point for students, activists, and citizens ever since, including during the then-recent 1973 pro-democracy demonstrations (discussed below). The verso contains promotional text and images for JAL (touting first-class regional tours despite the economic headwinds of the time), Bangkok, and the 1975 International Exposition being held in Okinawa.

Jim Thompson's House

One of the more curious landmarks on the map is 'Jim Thompson's House.' Thompson was an American businessman and 'man of mystery' who had been part of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), forerunner to the Central Intelligence Agency, and moved into Thailand in the last days of World War II (1939 - 1945). After the war, he was part of a group that bought and renovated the Oriental Hotel, at the bottom left here. Afterwards, he became a major fixture of the Thai silk industry, which he helped to revive and develop international markets for in the postwar period (thanks in part to the musical and film The King and I). In 1958, Thompson, a trained architect, designed and built an opulent home (mostly in Thai style with some of his own variations) and set about filling it with marvelous artifacts and art from Thailand and elsewhere in Asia. However, at the height of his renown, when he was one of the better-known Americans in Asia, Thompson mysteriously disappeared in 1967 while hiking in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia. Despite a massive search involving thousands, his remains were never found. Decades later, it came out that he was accidentally run down by locals who did not recognize him, but fearing the repercussions of killing a 'farang', hid the body. After his death, his home was turned into a museum and is still open to visitors today.

Historical Context

This map is in large part the result of the complex triangular relationship between Thailand, Japan, and the United States in the mid to late-20th century. During World War II, Thailand's military dictator Plaek Phibunsongkhram (popularly known simply as Phibun) tried to balance his country and his regime between Japan and the Western powers. Initially siding with Japan, especially after its rapid successes in Southeast Asia in late 1941 and early 1942, Phibun accepted Japanese occupation and influence over his government. However, a Thai resistance movement, supported by members of the royal family, fought these efforts, and, as Japan's fortunes worsened, was able to have Phibun removed from power (after which the U.S. pushed for sympathetic treatment of Thailand, against British and French advocacy for a harder line). Despite being tried as a war criminal at the end of the war, Phibun retained considerable popular support, and he soon returned to power in a 1947 coup.

Though maintaining a military dictatorship, Phibun discarded the fascist-style mobilization and propaganda of his first term in power and pitched himself as a quasi-democrat and anti-Communist crusader, aligning closely and formally allying with the United States in the Cold War conflicts that consumed Southeast Asia. A combination of foreign investment and aid helped Thailand's economy and infrastructure develop rapidly in this period. Still, Phibun's long presence in Thai politics had earned him enemies, including among the Thai royal family, and his attempts to stymie fair elections angered the public. Phibun was removed from power in a coup in 1957, after which he lived in exile in Japan. Still, he set the tone for Thai politics for decades to come, with a focus on infrastructure and economic development, openness to the outside world (especially fellow anti-Communist countries), and a complex, often befuddling, combination of democracy and military dictatorship.

After Phibun, American influence only increased further as the U.S. military presence in Vietnam ramped up and resources were rushed in to stave off a nascent Communist insurgency in Thailand. By the late 1960s, several billion dollars a year in direct spending by the U.S. government and military provided a major boon to the Thai economy, as did the spending of U.S. soldiers on leave (rest and recuperation). Thailand also sent thousands of troops to help suppress the Viet Cong insurgency in South Vietnam, being the third largest contingent of foreign troops behind the U.S. and South Korea. The social upheaval caused by the presence of tens of thousands of U.S. troops in Thailand was a major factor in the 1973 student uprising, which deposed the leaders of the pro-U.S. military dictatorship and led to partial democratization.

At the same time, Japanese businesses in the postwar period took (or in many cases resumed from the war era) an interest in investing in Thailand. In the postwar period, Japanese companies focused particularly on shifting manufacturing to Thailand as labor costs in Japan rose by the 1970s. The Japanese government also provided technical and humanitarian assistance, tacit atonement for its wartime misdeeds. As the 'hub' from which the 'spokes' of the U.S. Cold War alliance system in Asia radiated, the U.S. was happy to encourage and facilitate Japanese investment in Thailand, hoping the latter would mimic the industrial development of the 'Four Asian Tigers' (Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan).

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared by Japan Air Lines (now stylized as Japan Airlines) in August 1975. The art above and below the map was drawn by an artist simply named 'Amenide.' We note only one institutional example of this map, held by the Newberry Library, and no market history.

Condition

Very good. Slight wear on old fold lines.

References

OCLC 1032446463.