Office of the Historian

740.0011 European War 1939/6855J

The British Embassy to the Department of State53

undated

Text of Telegram Received From Bangkok

1.
French Minister called yesterday on Thai Prime Minister by whom he was received with some coolness and who took a very black view of the future of British Empire in Asia. He said that he had only just received a telegram from Berlin from “a good source” telling him that an agreement had been reached by Russia with the Axis Powers and Japan providing for a simultaneous assault upon the Empire. Russia was to attack Persia and India whilst Japan was to attack us in the Far East. According to the Prime Minister, Hitler had made up his mind that the war had lasted too long and that we must be crushed before United States got into her stride. The Prime Minister said also that if there was going to be a reorganization of Asia Thailand could not remain outside it. I suspect that the sender of the telegram from Berlin may have been Colonel Prayoon.54
2.
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs has repeated to Netherlands Charge d’Affaires his conviction that the Japanese are on the point of taking Saigon and he is surprised that they have not done so already.
3.
The British stock thus continues to fall sadly with Thais. I do not see how the situation can be saved in our favour unless by some [Page 217] decisive gesture on the part of United States and above all by basing of a strong American fleet on Singapore.
  1. Handed to the Chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs by the British Charge on November 18. The Chargé also left the copy of another Bangkok telegram reporting a conversation with a Thai official to the effect that, if the Japanese took Saigon, Thailand would move to occupy Laos and Cambodia and also that Thailand would resist if the Japanese attempted to violate Thai neutrality. The telegram expressed doubt as to this latter statement.↩
  2. Director of Youth Department in Thai Ministry of Defense, on mission to Berlin and Rome.↩