The Embassy of the United States in Bangkok () is the

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes ...

representing the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. At 11 acres, the embassy is the fourth largest US diplomatic mission, after

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, and

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. Robert F. Godec is the current US Ambassador to Thailand.

History

During the years 1832–6, Diplomat Edmund Roberts was appointed by President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

as America's first envoy to the Far East, and served on two consecutive non-resident embassies aboard the U. S. Navy

sloop-of-war During the 18th and 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship of the Royal Navy with a single gun deck that carried up to 18 guns. The rating system of the Royal Navy covered all vessels with 20 or more guns; thus, the term encompassed all u ...

''Peacock'' to the court of King

Nangklao Nangklao (born Thap; 31 March 1788 – 2 April 1851), also known by his regnal name Rama III, was the third Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, ruling from 21 July 1824 to 2 April 1851. Nangklao was the eldest surviving ...

( Rama III of the Kings of Thailand.) Roberts negotiated the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Siam and the United States of 1833 and returned in 1836 to exchange ratifications. The Roberts treaty, with subsequent modifications, is still in force. Roberts also negotiated a treaty and exchanged ratifications with the Sultan of

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

. In 2008, Roberts was lauded as the "first Deputy U.S. Trade Representative for Asia – and a fine one at that." The first diplomatic property for the US in Thailand was gifted by the monarchy in 1896. At the time, it was one of the few diplomatic properties owned abroad in the United States, with most diplomats having to fund their accommodation themselves. The current ambassadorial residence was built by the English businessman Henry Victor Bailey in 1914. After his death in 1920, this house was sold to the Thai finance ministry. After WWII, Great Britain sought to punish Thailand for having aided Japan, but the U.S. hindered their efforts. For this, the Thai government thanked the U.S. with the house in 1947 and it has been used as the official residence ever since. In 1975 a large scale protest, of about 10,000 students, took place outside the embassy when Thai air bases were used by the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

to launch attacks against Cambodia during the seizure of SS ''Mayaguez'', without the permission of the government of Thailand and without informing the embassy. There were two major events in the 20th century between the two nations. One is the Treaty of Amity and Economic Relations which facilitates U.S. and Thai companies' economic access to one another's markets. Other important agreements address civil uses of atomic energy, sales of agricultural commodities, investment guarantees, and finally military and economic assistance. The other is a Free Trade Agreement between the two nations that was proposed in 2004. Since the military coup of May 2014, relationships between Thailand and the United States have experienced strains, with several ultra-nationalist demonstrations in front of the U.S. Embassy on

Wireless Road Witthayu Road (, , ), also known as Wireless Road, is a road in Bangkok, located almost entirely in Lumphini subdistrict of Pathum Wan district. It originally linked Phloen Chit Road to Rama IV Road, running from what is now Phloen Chit Inters ...

, and even charges alleged against the U.S. ambassador for lese majeste. The U.S. trimmed military aid to Thailand, the latter which has been courting closer relationships with China and Russia.

Embassy complex

The current embassy compound was completed in 1996, and at the time was the second largest US diplomatic mission after the US Embassy, Cairo. A $625 million New Office Annex (NOX) building broke ground in August 2021, scheduled for completion by 2025. Designed by New York firm

SHoP Architects SHoP Architects is an architecture firm in Lower Manhattan, New York City, with projects located on five continents. Led by four principals, the firm provides services to residences, commercial buildings, schools and cultural institutions, as we ...

, the NOX will be built to LEED Silver Certification and incorporate traditional Thai architectural elements.

References

{{Diplomatic missions in Thailand

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, 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 estim ...

Pathum Wan district Thailand–United States relations

History

Embassy complex

See also

References