The memoirs of Direk Jayanama, the former Thai foreign minister and wartime ambassador to Japan, have been essential reading for students of Thailand's role in World War II for more than forty years. Publishers recently released a revised English edition to mark the one-hundredth anniversary of Direk's birth. The most obvious alteration involves the editor's decision to change the book's title, inserting “Thailand” in favor of the original “Siam.” This is somewhat ironic, given Direk's preference for the more traditional “Siam,” but reflects the editor's desire to conform to modern standards. Also new is a tribute penned by writer and activist Sulak Sivaraksa, who laments that current Thai leaders lack Direk's “moral courage and gentleness in refusing to serve dictatorial regimes” (p. ix).
Since its original publication, Thailand and World War II has been a critical source for shaping how historians have understood Thailand's role in the conflict. Direk intended...
