The Foreign Service Journal, May 2012

54 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A Y 2 0 1 2 B O O K S eventually, because of the enmity of Senator Jesse Helms, R-N.C., it also cost him confirmation as assistant sec- retary for Inter-American affairs. From visits to El Salvador in recent years, Negroponte concludes that, de- spite spotty initial implementation and rising transnational crime in much of the region, the peace agree- ments have transformed the country. The culture and spirit of democracy may still be weak, she observes, but “the authoritarian tendencies of the past have not reappeared, and a re- markable lack of bitterness allows for- mer enemies to engage in political dialogue.” The once-feared Salvadoran army, now trimmed by two-thirds, is sought after for disaster assistance and law enforcement functions. And, remark- ably, an FMLN presidential candi- date, Mauricio Funes, won election in 2009 and still serves today. Negroponte’s study of the peace process and its aftermath is exhaus- tively footnoted and may well become the authoritative English-language study on the subject. Initially pre- pared as her doctoral thesis at George- town University and then substantially expanded, her account draws on unique primary sources: interviews with virtually all of the principal par- ticipants in the negotiations, as well as a range of supporting actors. She also makes extensive use of State Depart- ment archives throughout. To her other accomplishments as a lawyer, professor and mother of five adopted children, Diana Negroponte can now add this thoroughly research- ed yet readable history. Ted Wilkinson, an FSO from 1961 to 1996, chaired the FSJ Editorial Board from 2005 to 2011. Man of Mystery The Ideal Man: The Tragedy of Jim Thompson and the American Way of War Joshua Kurlantzick, John Wiley & Sons, 2011, $25.95, hardcover, 264 pages. R EVIEWED BY J OSH G LAZEROFF Many of us have stopped in Bangkok on one of our trips across Asia, even if we’ve never served there. Of all of those who have seen the place, how many have bought Jim Thompson ties? Hands up, now — looks like most of us. So who was Thompson? In a nut- shell, a famous spy turned tremen- dously successful businessman, who disappeared and left a legend behind (as well as a beautiful home filled with Thai treasures). In this book, Joshua Kurlantzick takes a hard look at his background and what he became to extract deeper lessons about our country and its Asian adventures, including the cost of fight- ing a war that “must be won” but is lost from the start. A socialite and dilettante from a wealthy Delaware family, Thompson tried a variety of pursuits before Bill Donovan, director of the Office of Strategic Services (precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency), re- cruited him during World War II. He quickly became a star operative, who enjoyed great success in North Africa and Europe before moving on to Thai- land in 1945. There he was an essential contact for Indochinese freedom fighters using Bangkok as an outpost. Whether from Laos, Cambodia or Vietnam, they all saw him as a link to the rising American power in the re- gion. And Thompson saw them as the region’s future, reasoning that the United States was bound to support those working for self-government against colonial rule. Why not get on the side of these popular fighters, even if they were communists? Such views were neither prudent nor popular as the Cold War began to intensify, of course. Instead of heeding Thompson’s advice, Washington fol- lowed the French into Vietnam— and we all know how that story turned out. As Kurlantzick observes, “Thomp- son had fought to rid the world of im- perialism [but] actually midwifed a new era of American imperialism.” Disillusioned and marginalized, Thompson left government service in 1946 to build contacts with local weavers. From small beginnings, he turned Thai silk into a world-famous fashion accessory, launching an entire industry. A fixture on the Bangkok so- cial scene, he came to know Thailand as well as any expatriate can. But the country was rapidly chang- ing, as an escalating American pres- ence brought money and modernity to the country. Coups and countercoups left Thompson without friends in high places, and after so many years away from home, he grew tired and lonely. On a holiday trip to the hills in Malaysia, Thompson went for a walk after attending Easter services on March 26, 1967, then vanished. Despite massive searches, no one ever found a trace of him — not even a telepath. Was he still a U.S. agent? Was the Thai government after him? Were business rivals eager to eliminate him? Nearly half a century later, in- depth research and CIA archives both still leave questions unanswered. A dedicated government profes-