Jim Thompson (designer)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

James Harrison Wilson Thompson (March 21, 1906 – March 26, 1967
disappeared An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organi ...
) was an American businessman who helped revitalise the
Thai silk Thai silk ( th, ผ้าไหมไทย, , ) is produced from the cocoons of Thai silkworms. Thailand's silkworm farmers cultivate both types of the domesticated silkworms that produce commercial silk: ''Samia ricini'', commonly known as the ...
industry in the 1950s and 1960s. At the time of his disappearance he was one of the most famous Americans living in Asia. ''Time'' magazine claimed he "almost singlehanded(ly) saved
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
's vital silk industry from extinction".


Early life

Jim Thompson was born in Greenville, Delaware in 1906. He was the youngest of five children of Henry and
Mary Wilson Thompson Mary Wilson Thompson (October 30, 1866 – April 2, 1947) was a Delaware civic leader. As leader of the Delaware Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage, she is credited with the Delaware General Assembly's failure to ratify the 19th Amendment, ...
. His father was a wealthy textile manufacturer; his mother was the daughter of
James Harrison Wilson James Harrison Wilson (September 2, 1837 – February 23, 1925) was a United States Army topographic engineer and a Union Army Major General in the American Civil War. He served as an aide to Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan during the Maryland Cam ...
(1837–1925), a noted Union general during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
. Thompson spent his early years of education at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire. He graduated from
Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
in 1928, and represented the United States in the 6-Metre Sailing event at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. Post-graduate studies followed at the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
's School of Architecture, but he did not complete his degree at this institution due to his weakness in
calculus Calculus, originally called infinitesimal calculus or "the calculus of infinitesimals", is the mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape, and algebra is the study of generalizations of arithm ...
. From 1931 to 1940, he practised in New York City with Holden, McLaughlin & Associates, designing homes for the East Coast rich. During this period, he led an active social life and sat on the board of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. In 1941, he quit his job and enlisted with the
Delaware National Guard The Delaware National Guard consists of the Delaware Army National Guard, and the Delaware Air National Guard. It is a state agency of the government of Delaware. From February 2017 its commander, the State adjutant general, has been Major Gene ...
. Before the outbreak of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, he was transferred to a military outpost in
Fort Monroe Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virgi ...
,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. While he was here, he got to know Second Lieutenant Edwin Fahey Black, a fresh graduate from the US Military Academy,
West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
. It was Black who encouraged him to join the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner of the
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
.


World War II activities

At the height of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, Thompson was recruited by
major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
William Joseph Donovan William Joseph "Wild Bill" Donovan (January 1, 1883 – February 8, 1959) was an American soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat, best known for serving as the head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the B ...
(1883–1959) to serve as an operative in the OSS. His first assignment was with the
French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...
in North Africa. He was then sent to Europe. After
Victory in Europe Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easte ...
(May 7–8, 1945), he was transferred to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to work with the pro-Allied
Free Thai Movement The Free Thai Movement ( th, เสรีไทย; ) was a Thai underground resistance movement against Imperial Japan during World War II. Seri Thai were an important source of military intelligence for the Allies in the region. Background I ...
(''Seri Thai''). Their mission was to help liberate
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
from the occupying Japanese Army. The group had the support of Pridi Panomyong, the regent to King
Ananda Mahidol Ananda Mahidol ( th, พระบาทสมเด็จพระปรเมนทรมหาอานันทมหิดล; ; 20 September 1925 – 9 June 1946), posthumous reigning title Phra Athamaramathibodin ( th, พระอั ...
of Thailand, and
Seni Pramoj Mom Rajawongse Seni Pramoj ( th, หม่อมราชวงศ์เสนีย์ ปราโมช, , ; 26 May 190528 July 1997) was three times the Prime Minister of Thailand, a politician in the Democrat Party, lawyer, diplomat and pr ...
, the Thai ambassador to the United States. In August 1945, Thompson was about to be sent into Thailand, when the surrender of Japan officially ended
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. He arrived in Thailand shortly after
Victory over Japan Day Victory over Japan Day (also known as V-J Day, Victory in the Pacific Day, or V-P Day) is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end. The term has been applied to both of the days on ...
and organised the
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
OSS office. It was here he got to know Constance (Connie) Mangskau, an Allied Services translator, who later became one of his closest friends. In the spring of 1946, Thompson went to work as a military attaché at the United States legation for his former
Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...
classmate
Charles Woodruff Yost Charles Woodruff Yost (November 6, 1907 – May 21, 1981) was a career U.S. Ambassador who was assigned as his country's United States Ambassador to the United Nations, representative to the United Nations from 1969 to 1971. Biography Yos ...
, the US Minister to Thailand. It was the start of Thompson's eleven year affair with Yost's wife, Irena. In 1950, she had a child, but neither Thompson nor Yost could establish paternity prior to
DNA testing Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, o ...
. Thompson used his contacts with the Free Thai and Free Laos (''Lao Issara'') groups to gather information and defuse conflicts on Thailand's borders. Working with him in the legation was
Kenneth Landon Kenneth Perry Landon (27 March 1903 Meadville, Pennsylvania – 26 August 1993 Arlington, Virginia) was a government and academic specialist on Thailand. He and his wife, Margaret Landon, were Presbyterian missionaries in southern Thailand from 192 ...
, an American missionary whose wife,
Margaret Landon Margaret Landon (September 7, 1903 – December 4, 1993) was an American writer known for '' Anna and the King of Siam'', her best-selling 1944 novel of the life of Anna Leonowens which eventually sold over a million copies and was translated in ...
, was the author of ''Anna and the King of Siam'', which was the inspiration for the 1946 film of the same name, and the 1956 film ''The King and I''.


Return to private industry

In late 1946, Thompson headed for home to seek his discharge from the army. After his divorce from Patricia Thraves (1920–1969), he returned to Thailand to join a group of investors to buy The Oriental Hotel in
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
. While working on its restoration, he had some differences with his associates and this resulted in him giving up his shares in the company. He subsequently switched his focus to silk trade. In 1948 he partnered with George Barrie to found the Thai Silk Company Limited. It was capitalized at $25,000. They each owned 18% of the shares, and the remaining 64% were sold to Thai and foreign investors. The firm achieved a coup in 1951 when designer
Irene Sharaff Irene Sharaff (January 23, 1910 – August 16, 1993) was an American costume designer for stage and screen. Her work earned her five Academy Awards and a Tony Award. Sharaff is universally recognized as one of the greatest costume designers of ...
made use of
Thai silk Thai silk ( th, ผ้าไหมไทย, , ) is produced from the cocoons of Thai silkworms. Thailand's silkworm farmers cultivate both types of the domesticated silkworms that produce commercial silk: ''Samia ricini'', commonly known as the ...
fabrics for the
Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popular ...
musical, ''The King and I''. From then on, the company prospered. Besides inventing the bright jewel tones and dramatic colour combinations today associated with Thai silk, Thompson raised thousands of Thailand's poorest people out of poverty. His determination to keep his company cottage-based was significant for the women who made up the bulk of his work force. By allowing them to work at home, they retained their position in the household while becoming breadwinners. It was only after Thompson's disappearance that the Thai Silk Company relocated its weaving operations to
Korat The Korat cat ( th, โคราช, มาเลศ, สีสวาด, ) is a silver-tipped blue-grey, short-haired breed of domestic cat with a small to medium build and a low percentage of body fat. Its body is semi-cobby, and unusually hea ...
, a city which serves as a base of operations for the
Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA ( th, กองทัพบกไทย; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's ...
. Although it abandoned home-based weaving in favour of factories in the early 1970s, the Thai Silk Company's
Korat The Korat cat ( th, โคราช, มาเลศ, สีสวาด, ) is a silver-tipped blue-grey, short-haired breed of domestic cat with a small to medium build and a low percentage of body fat. Its body is semi-cobby, and unusually hea ...
facility looks more like a landscaped campus than a factory.


Thompson's "House on the Klong"

Thompson was unlike any other figure in Southeast Asia. He was an American, an ex-architect, a retired army officer, a one-time spy, a silk merchant and a renowned collector of antiques. Most of his treasures, if not all, were amassed after he came to Thailand. In 1958, he began what was to be the pinnacle of his architectural achievement – the construction of a new home to showcase his ''objets d'art''. Using parts of old up-country houses – some as old as a hundred years – he succeeded in constructing a masterpiece that involved the reassembling of six Thai dwellings on his estate. Most of the units were dismantled and brought over by river from
Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to: * Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767 ** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom * Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...
, but the largest – a weaver's house (now the living room) – came from Bangkrua. On arrival, the woodwork was offloaded and pieced together. In his quest for authenticity, he saw to it that some of the structures were elevated a full floor above the ground. During the construction stage, he added his own touches to the buildings by positioning, for instance, a central staircase indoors rather than having it outside. Along the way, he also reversed the wall panels of his quarters so that it now faced inside instead of it having an external orientation. After he was through with its creation, he filled his home with the items he had collected in the past. Decorating his rooms were Chinese blue-and-white
Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...
pieces, Belgian glass, Cambodian carvings, Victorian-era chandeliers, Benjarong earthenware, Thai stone images, Burmese statues, and a dining table which was once used by
King Rama V Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร ...
of Thailand. It took Thompson almost a year to complete his mansion. Now a museum, the Jim Thompson House can be reached by public or private transport.


Disappearance

Thompson disappeared from Malaysia's
Cameron Highlands The Cameron Highlands ( ms, Tanah Tinggi Cameron, , ta, கேமரன் மலை) is a district in Pahang, Malaysia, occupying an area of . To the north, its boundary touches that of Kelantan; to the west, it shares part of its border with ...
on Sunday, March 26, 1967. His disappearance from the hill station generated one of the largest land searches in Southeast Asian history, and is one of the most famous mysteries in the region.


See also

*
Disappearance of Jim Thompson James Harrison Wilson Thompson (born 21 March 1906) was an American businessman who helped revitalise the Thai silk industry in the 1950s and 1960s. He co-founded the Thai Silk Company in 1948. The son of a prominent Delaware family, Thompso ...
*
List of people who disappeared mysteriously Lists of people who disappeared include those whose current whereabouts are unknown, or whose deaths are unsubstantiated. Many people who disappear are eventually declared dead ''in absentia''. Some of these people were possibly subjected to enfo ...
* Missing person


References


Books

* * * * **


Video

* *


News articles

* * * * * * * * * * * * * (part 1 of a 4-part series). * Toulmin, Llewellyn (June 4, 2015). "The Mysterious Disappearance and Search for Jim Thompson". ''The Montgomery Sentinel''. Montgomery County, Maryland. p. 16. (part 2 of a 4-part series). * Toulmin, Llewellyn (July 2, 2015). "Continuing the Search for the 'Silk King'". ''The Montgomery Sentinel''. Montgomery County, Maryland. p. 19. (part 3 of a 4-part series). * Toulmin, Llewellyn (August 6, 2015). "The Last Stop in the Search for Jim Thompson". ''The Montgomery Sentinel''. Montgomery County, Maryland. p. 19. (part 4 of a 4-part series). * * * * * *


External links


Jim Thompson House

Jim Thompson – The Mystery
by Carrado Jay Boccia
Jim Thompson, The Unsolved Mystery
by William Warren
The Curious Case of Jim Thompson, Thai Silk King
by Kenneth Champeon
The Unexplainable Disappearance of Jim Thompson, Thai Silk King
by Catherine Phelan

by Francine Matthews, former
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
agent
New Land Adventures
Lew Toulmin's reports on investigating Jim Thompson's disappearance
Jim Thompson's staged disappearance in the Cameron Highlands
www.TouTube.com
SOLVED! The "mysterious" disappearance of Jim Thompson in the Cameron Highlands
www.YouTube.com
Quotable quotes that point to the planned disappearance of Jim Thompson in the Cameron Highlands
www.TouTube.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Jim 1906 births People from Greenville, Delaware Year of death uncertain Missing people People of the Office of Strategic Services Central Intelligence Agency American fashion businesspeople American textile industry businesspeople United States Army officers Princeton University alumni World War II spies for the United States University of Pennsylvania School of Design alumni St. Paul's School (New Hampshire) alumni Sailors at the 1928 Summer Olympics – 6 Metre Olympic sailors of the United States American male sailors (sport) American expatriates in Thailand