Bilateral relations between Thailand and the United States date back to 1818. The two nations have long been close allies and diplomatic partners, since before and during the Cold War with geopolitical shifts in Southeast Asia, focusing on the transition from French colonial and American imperialist pressures to the rise of communist regimes in Indochina and the alliance of Thailand with the United States.

Historical relations

19th century The first recorded contact between Thailand (then known as Siam) and the United States occurred in 1818, when an American ship captain visited the country bearing a letter from President James Monroe. Chang and Eng Bunker, the original Siamese twins, were brought to the United States in the early 1830s.

In 1832, President Andrew Jackson sent his envoy Edmund Roberts on the USS Peacock to the court of Siam. Roberts signed a Treaty of Amity and Commerce on March 20, 1833, with Chao Phraya Phraklang Prayurawongse representing King Nangklao (Rama III). Naval surgeon William Ruschenberger accompanied the return mission for exchange of ratifications. His account and that of Mr. Roberts were collected, edited, and re-published as Two Yankee Diplomats in 1830s Siam. Thailand is thus the first Asian nation to have made a formal diplomatic agreement with the United States, eleven years before the Great Qing and twenty-one years before Tokugawa Japan. This was affirmed in 2008 by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who met President George W. Bush "on the auspicious occasion of the celebration of 175th anniversary" of Thai–American relations. In 1863, France took its first major step into the region by establishing a French protectorate of Cambodia, move directly challenged the Kingdom of Siam (modern-day Thailand), pressuring the Siamese crown to renounce its long-standing suzerainty over the Cambodian region. Following the Paknam naval incident, where French warships forced their way up the Chao Phraya River towards Bangkok, Siam was issued a harsh ultimatum. Under the resulting Franco-Siamese Treaty, Siam was forced to cede all territories east of the Mekong River that comprise the majority of modern day Laos to France, which also became a French protectorate, where these territories were quickly absorbed into the expanding union of French Indochina. Both Thailand and Japan invaded and annexed parts of Cambodia and Laos during World War II (specifically in 1941 through the Franco-Thai War). After the Second World War, Thailand returned the disputed Cambodian and Laos territories to France in October 1946 to secure the UN membership and avoid a French veto. Following the independence of both Laos and Cambodia from France in 1953 and the conclusion of the Second Indochina War, the rise of Marxist-Leninist regimes in 1975 took control of Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge (Cambodian Reds) in Phnom Penh, Saigon by the Viet Cong in Vietnam and Vientiane by the Pathet Lao in Laos, have radically altering regional alignment, Thailand chose a radically different path to preserve its national identity, its capitalist economy, and its traditional system of constitutional monarchy, firmly allied itself with both the United States and the West. Thailand resisted the communist wave of its neighbors sweeping through Indochina like dominoes of which three nations fell to communist regimes.

In 1983, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of relations, it was revealed that President Jackson had given Nangklao a gold sword with designs of an elephant and an eagle chased on a gold handle. The king was also presented a proof set of American coins, which included the "King of Siam" 1804 dollar struck in 1834. The set, minus a Jackson gold medal, was purchased for a record $8.5 million by Steven L. Contursi on November 1, 2005, from an anonymous owner described as "a West Coast business executive", who purchased it for over $4 million four years before.

In May 1856, Townsend Harris, a representative of President Franklin Pierce, negotiated another American–Siamese Treaty with representatives of King Mongkut (Rama IV) that granted Americans additional extraterritorial rights. Stephen Mattoon, an American missionary who acted as Harris's translator, was appointed the first United States consul to Siam.

During the presidency of James Buchanan, Mongkut, after receiving presents from the United States, offered elephants for breeding stock in return. The offer was received by President Abraham Lincoln, who courteously declined. This was dramatized in Rodgers and Hammerstein's play The King and I, which mentions in passing that the King planned to send war elephants to assist Lincoln in his "Great War".

The United States was largely focused on its own civil war and had limited official presence in the region compared to the European powers. Following the establishment of the Cambodian protectorate, France expanded its control over Vietnam (Cochinchina), which will later consolidated into the Union of French Indochina in 1887. Following a series of wars, the British completed their conquest of Burma in 1885, seizing Mandalay, deposing King Thibaw, and formally incorporating the country into the Indian Empire. Siam found itself positioned as a buffer state between British Burma to the west and French Indochina to the east, where Britain and France had divided their respective spheres of influence.

Early 20th century Following the death of General Advisor in Foreign Affairs Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns in 1902, Phya Suriyanuwat, the Siamese Minister in Paris, was instructed to find a replacement. Phya Suriya was unable to find a suitable candidate in Europe, and notified Phya Akaraj Varathon, the Siamese Minister in Washington, that under the circumstances, he had decided to engage an American. In 1903, former US diplomat Edward Henry Strobel took a leave of absence from his position as the Bemis Professor of International Law at Harvard School of Law to represent the Kingdom of Siam in The Hague at the International Peace Court—which Rolin-Jaequemyns had been instrumental in founding. In 1906, Strobel moved to Bangkok to take the position of general advisor, where he died January 15, 1908. Among his successors were Jens Westengard (1909–1914), Wolcott Pitkin (1915–1917), Eldon James, and Francis B. Sayre—all but for Pitkin former Harvard law professors. "The Siamese government trusted the American Adviser in Foreign Affairs to act in the best interests of Siam. Authority and responsibility were delegated to him. He was permitted a considerable degree of freedom in his work. It was in his capacity as a lawyer, a jurist, an advocate, and a policy counselor that the American adviser contributed significantly to the successful conclusion of the treaty negotiations with the West. The first U.S. White House state dinner of the twentieth century, and just the second White House state dinner ever, occurred in April of 1931, while King Prajadhipok was visiting America in order to get eye surgery. " An agreement on relations between the two countries was signed in Washington, D.C., on December 16, 1920.Text in League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. 6, pp. 292-305.

World War II During the 1940s, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Thailand and Malaya. Thailand resisted landings on its territory for about 5 to 8 hours; it then signed a ceasefire and a Treaty of Friendship with Japan, later declaring war on the UK and the USA. The Japanese then proceeded overland across the Thai–Malayan border to attack Malaya. At this time, the Japanese began bombing Singapore.

SEATO In 1954, Thailand joined the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) to become an active ally of the United States in the Cold War in Asia. In 1962, came the Thanat–Rusk communiqué in which the U.S. promised to defend Thailand and fund its military.Khien Theeravit, "Thailand: An Overview of Politics and Foreign Relations." Southeast Asian Affairs (1979): 299-311. onlineArne Kislenko, "The Vietnam War, Thailand, and the United States" in Richard Jensen et al. eds. Trans-Pacific Relations: America, Europe, and Asia in the Twentieth Century(Praeger, 2003) pp 217–245.

Vietnam War Thailand was an active participant in the Vietnam War, serving as the third-largest provider of ground forces to South Vietnam and hosting nearly 50,000 US military personnel at its height. Thailand felt threatened by the North Vietnamese-backed insurgency in Laos and Cambodia, by the Khmer Rouge (Cambodian Reds) and Pathet Lao which was backed by the Viet Cong at the Ho Chi Minh Trail that would lead to a communist takeover in Bangkok. The Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh on 17 April 1975, and Saigon fell to North Vietnamese forces on 30 April, thirteen days later. Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to recognize the new Marxist–Leninist or Maoist government of Democratic Kampuchea under the rule of Angkar (The Organization) which came to power at the end of the Cambodian Civil War by the Constitution of Democratic Kampuchea once aided by Chairman Mao from Beijing, with Saloth Sâr (Pol Pot) who became "Brother Number One" as the Head of the Communist Party and Leader of the Nation. The Thai government formally recognized the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on 6 August 1976, one month after the reunification of the country, while the United States did not recognize the new nation until 1995, four years after the Cold War ended and the Soviet collapse, with America establishing a diplomatic relations. In November 2000, Bill Clinton became the first U.S. president to visit Vietnam.

Treaty of Amity (1966)

Since World War II, the United States and Thailand have developed close relations, as reflected in several bilateral treaties and by both countries' participation in UN multilateral activities and agreements. The principal bilateral arrangement is the 1966 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 military and economic assistance.

Political relations

Proposed FTA (2004–2006)

In June 2004 the United States and Thailand initiated negotiations on a free trade agreement which, when concluded, will reduce and eliminate barriers to trade and investment between the two countries. These negotiations were placed on hold following the dissolution of the Thai parliament in February 2006 and the subsequent coup in September. The new military government issued compulsory licenses for several anti-HIV drugs, effectively ending the FTA negotiations.Channel News Asia. 2008, August 5. "US president's visit to Thailand will likely focus on Myanmar". According to Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political science professor at Chulalongkorn University, this has put bilateral relations on a "back burner".

2014 Thai coup d'état

On 22 May 2014, the Royal Thai Armed Forces, led by General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Commander of the Royal Thai Army (RTA), launched a coup d'état against the caretaker government of Thailand, following six months of political crisis. US Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement condemning the coup, saying that he was "disappointed" by the army's decision and "this act will have negative implications for the U.S.–Thai relationship, especially for our relationship with the Thai military".

2020s relations

In 2022, Thailand and the US signed a communique on "strategic alliance and partnership". After 6 April 2022Bangkok-Anchorage 6 Apr 2022 to 13 August 2024Atlas Air 8496 13 August 2024Suvarnabhumi Airport nothing Non-stop flight to America