Word: phibun
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...revolutionary chieftains into an agreement and averted a nasty civil war. As the U.S. saluted the ouster of Guatemala's Communists as a major victory, ambitious Jack Peurifoy was off to Bangkok to succeed "Wild Bill" Donovan as Ambassador to Thailand. There he made fast friends with Premier Phibun Songgram, who himself drives a swift Mercedes...
...also had time for state visitors and for golf. To Thailand's Prime Minister Phibun Songgram he presented the Legion of Merit, degree of Chief Commander (for sending a regimental combat team from the Royal Thai Army to assist in the Korean fighting). When the Premier bowed low and placed the tops of his fingers together before his chest, the traditional Asian "joining of palms" to express respect and appreciation, John Foster Dulles whispered to the President: "They don't shake hands in Thailand." Said Ike: "I know, I know. But we do." He gave Phibun a hearty...
Early Life. The son of a rice farmer, Phibun developed an early aversion to the malodorous paddies, decided on a military career. As a bright young lieutenant in the Siamese army, he was rewarded with a four-year scholarship to study gunnery at Fontainebleau. France. In Paris in the '20s, he became friendly with Pridi Phanomyong, a Siamese political-science student who lived in the same pension; the two were destined to become political Siamese twins for the next 30 years. At the tables of the Café de Flore and the Deux Magots on the Left Bank, Phibun...
...Career. Phibun quickly learned the Siamese art of tarn ratthapraharn (masterminding a coup d'êtat). Following a 1933 coup, he became Minister of Defense; in 1938 he took over as Prime Minister and, eventually, as absolute dictator. He assumed the title of Phunam ("The Leader"), changed his country's name to Thailand, and tried to Westernize his countrymen overnight (sample laws: farmers were ordered to wear shoes, and officials to kiss their wives before leaving for the office). In 1941 Phibun capitulated to Japan, later declared war on the U.S. and Britain. Old Friend Pridi...
Personality & Private Life. Married to Mme. La-iad, a prominent feminist and a onetime Senator, Phibun has six grown children, entertains in a sumptuous Bangkok palace. He serves Coca-Cola to guests (a son-in-law is a local Coke concessionaire), and, like Coca-Cola Tycoon James Farley, he has a fondness for green furniture and carpets. Phibun, a devout Buddhist, was born on a Wednesday, and green is the lucky color for Wednesday's children in Thailand. (One of his prewar decrees made dancing compulsory in government offices on Wednesday afternoons.) A canny politician...