Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

The Ideal Man

ebook

How the West's greatest spy in Asia tried to stop the new American way of war--and the steep price he paid for failing

Jim Thompson landed in Thailand at the end of World War II, a former American society dilettante who became an Asian legend as a spy and silk magnate with access to Thai worlds outsiders never saw. As the Cold War reached Thailand, America had a choice: Should it, as Thompson believed, help other nations build democracies from their traditional cultures or, as his ex-OSS friend Willis Bird argued, remake the world through deception and self-serving alliances? In a story rich with insights and intrigue, this book explores a key Cold War episode that is still playing out today.

  • Highlights a pivotal moment in Cold War history that set a course for American foreign policy that is still being followed today
  • Explores the dynamics that put Thailand at the center of the Cold War and the fighting in neighboring Laos that escalated from sideshow to the largest covert operation America had ever engaged in
  • Draws on personal recollections and includes atmospheric details that bring the people, events--and the Thailand of the time--to life
  • Written by a journalist with extensive experience in Asian affairs who has spent years investigating every aspect of this story, including Thompson's tragic disappearance

Expand title description text
Publisher: Wiley Edition: 1

Kindle Book

  • Release date: November 22, 2011

OverDrive Read

  • ISBN: 9781118098110
  • Release date: November 22, 2011

EPUB ebook

  • ISBN: 9781118098110
  • File size: 351 KB
  • Release date: November 22, 2011

Formats

Kindle Book
OverDrive Read
EPUB ebook

subjects

History Nonfiction

Languages

English

How the West's greatest spy in Asia tried to stop the new American way of war--and the steep price he paid for failing

Jim Thompson landed in Thailand at the end of World War II, a former American society dilettante who became an Asian legend as a spy and silk magnate with access to Thai worlds outsiders never saw. As the Cold War reached Thailand, America had a choice: Should it, as Thompson believed, help other nations build democracies from their traditional cultures or, as his ex-OSS friend Willis Bird argued, remake the world through deception and self-serving alliances? In a story rich with insights and intrigue, this book explores a key Cold War episode that is still playing out today.

  • Highlights a pivotal moment in Cold War history that set a course for American foreign policy that is still being followed today
  • Explores the dynamics that put Thailand at the center of the Cold War and the fighting in neighboring Laos that escalated from sideshow to the largest covert operation America had ever engaged in
  • Draws on personal recollections and includes atmospheric details that bring the people, events--and the Thailand of the time--to life
  • Written by a journalist with extensive experience in Asian affairs who has spent years investigating every aspect of this story, including Thompson's tragic disappearance

Expand title description text
  • Details

    Publisher:
    Wiley
    Edition:
    1

    Kindle Book
    Release date: November 22, 2011

    OverDrive Read
    ISBN: 9781118098110
    Release date: November 22, 2011

    EPUB ebook
    ISBN: 9781118098110
    File size: 351 KB
    Release date: November 22, 2011

  • Creators
  • Formats
    Kindle Book
    OverDrive Read
    EPUB ebook
  • Languages
    English