Cablegram D1446 LONDON, 14 August 1945, 6.30 p.m.
IMMEDIATE TOP SECRET
My telegram 26th July D.1304 and connected telegrams [1]-SIAM.
The Japanese surrender has overtaken our plans for Siam. The position of Siam herself is anomalous since she has not played the part in her own liberation which had been expected and ostensibly she still remains the associate of Japan.
2. There are, however, special circumstances which must be taken into account. Much assistance has been given by the Siamese resistance movement to our underground activities and the Regent [2] with whom we have been in contact through Secret channels made it known to S.A.C.S.E.A. and to the United States Government that he was prepared to set up a new Government for action against the Japanese. He was, however, advised both by Admiral Mountbatten with our approval and by the United States Government against taking this action which would then have been militarily premature.
3. In these circumstances we are disposed to shape our policy towards Siam according to the readiness which she may now show to make restitution for the past and to co-operate in the future. But it is for the Regent to take the initiative to make this possible.
4. As the matter is now extremely urgent it seems essential to take immediate action and S.A.C.S.E.A. has been authorised to arrange for instructions to be sent to our representative in touch with Siamese resistance movement that if he sees no objection and subject to any developments in Siam he should give it as his personal advice to the Regent that as soon as possible after the final Japanese surrender he would be well advised to make an announcement disavowing his country’s declaration of war upon Great Britain and the United States and all measures flowing from it which may operate to the prejudice of the Allies; repudiating the alliance and all other agreements with Japan placing his country and its armed forces at the service of the Allies and declaring his readiness to send a representative to get into touch with the Allies. The announcement might state that the Regent had let it be known to the United Kingdom and United States Governments at an earlier stage that the resistance movement wished to initiate overt action against the Japanese and had only refrained from such action on the express advice of the Allies based on operational grounds. The Regent would not be expected to make his announcement until after the moment of Japanese surrender.
5. The above is of course without prejudice to further consultation on conditions on which we shall be prepared to recognise and collaborate with a Siamese Government which has repudiated the Japanese connection. We are reviewing conditions previously telegraphed in order to bring them into line with the changed circumstances and bearing in mind comments received from other British Commonwealth Governments.
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1 See Documents 144 and 145.
2 Nai Pridi Panomyong. The young king Ananda spent the war in Switzerland.
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[AA : A1838, 453/10/1/2]