Browse Items (100 total)

  • Tags: Kenneth Landon’s SE Asia Trips 1945-1966

Kenneth tells of the time when he was to be the political adviser to Admiral Edwin Layton. The Admiral was taking a tour around the Pacific countries and was particularly interested in Japan. Kenneth was asked what he would be drinking on the trip,…

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Kenneth tells of Admiral Layton going out on the town. As he had drank quite a bit, he ended up in the hotel late. Upon waking, he found eel in front of his door. He suspected the Japanese girls were being kind, when in reality it was leftovers of…

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Kenneth tells of the return trip with Admiral Layton. He recalls the plethora of items that the Admiral and Bill Godel were returning with, including a three-wheeled bicycle taxi! Kenneth also tells that this was his first encounter with a to be…

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Kenneth talks of the Layton party once more. They now travel to Saigon. They met Colonel Ed Lansdale here, who was later to become a general. Admiral Layton by this time was quite impressed, as Kenneth had friends in Hong Kong and was now also known…

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Kenneth discusses traveling through Bangkok. As he had some extra time on his hands, he visited some old friends he had made in the area.

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Kenneth recalls meeting with an old friend, the Consul General by the name of Drumwright. Drumwright had him over for the evening, taking him out to a wonderful party with orchestras, food, and fine Scotch whiskeys. Drumwright wanted to see and be…

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Kenneth tells of his first encounter with General Lyman Lemnitzer. At this point he was a two star General. Kenneth spoke quite boldly to Lemnitzer, explaining to him that he would be funding even when the General may have opposed the plan.

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While Donovan was in Thailand, he'd go on lengthy walks daily. He would walk during the heat of the day, wearing down even the marines who would guard him. When asked about it, he merrily responded that he wasn't fearing death--he wouldn't ask anyone…

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During work in Thailand, Donovan was to create an aid program for General Pao. Kenneth, however, realized that General Sarit was a rising power, and that Donovan should also pay attention to him. Donovan created a plan for Sarit as well, this being a…

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While traveling, Kenneth came upon a seller of peacock feather hats. The seller required the buyer to provide the pheasants which might be used in the making of the hat. Kenneth, however, found a premade hat in the house, tried it on and, finding…

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Upon returning from his trip, Kenneth wanted to get his newly acquired hat blocked. He took it to his usual New York man, Lewis Saltz, and had him block the hat. Saltz made a large ordeal of the hat, displaying it for some time. Saltz took great…

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While in Bangkok, Kenneth decided that he wanted to buy a fine watch. The Thai would have gladly given him a watch, however Kenneth wanted to buy one. The Thai took him to a jewelry store, showing him the finest watch in the store, stating that he…

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Kenneth had good relations with the Thai. As such, he was to be honored with the Order of Exalted White Elephant award. However, as he was not a general, he wasn't able to receive the same ranking of White Elephant as the generals in the group. As…

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Kenneth tells of the firebug problem which Sarit deals with. People were lighting fires in order to collect the insurance on the properties and Sarit needed to deal with the problem. Televised, he shot a firebug which had been caught, teaching a…

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Once again, years later, Kenneth met Mrs. Yipintsoi again and was asked to dinner with her after he spoke quite highly of her at a meeting with a few hundred women. Regrettably, he was unable to attend as he fell quite ill.

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Kenneth tells of Queen Ramphai Barni. He visited her farm, recalling the time that she had visited his home in Washington. She remembered the visit as well, and they had a pleasant time together.

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Kenneth tells of his 1966 trip to Southeast Asia which would be his last. The Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA) was trying to gather information in order that we might bomb the Ho Chi Minh trail. Kenneth was under strict orders, yet the…

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Donovan, realizing that this was his last significant position in government, wanted to be remembered and make a difference. Jokingly, Kenneth suggested redirecting the Mekong River, as this could drastically impact southeast Asia. Donovan took to…

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During his 1960 trip, Kenneth, Norm, and Eddie Hanna went swimming in a kiddy pool. They all had a little too much to drink, and Kenneth suggested they go swimming. So they went in, got their swimsuits, and swam in the small little kiddy pool in the…

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Kenneth tells of his trip through Afghanistan and an incident in which nomads were required to wash the car as they'd made it dirty. Kenneth also recalls buying a lamb-skin hat there, made from the skin of an unborn baby lamb. He bought one for Peggy…

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The climax of the negotiations was December 22, when the British gave in. Then the celebrations began. The Thai especially wanted to honor General Timmerman, who was the American negotiator in Colombo. They invited him to come to Bangkok, and the…

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The negotiations went on week after week. Finally, Mr. Byrd decided to dispose of Kenneth, saying that he was assuming a knowledge of the country of Thailand that he really didn't possess. He expressed admiration for Kenneth's father as a scholar and…

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The British couldn't understand why the Americans objected to their twenty-one demands. They pointed out that they had a state of war with Siam, whereas the U.S. did not. But the US won the war in the Pacific, not the British, so the US was going to…

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The overall purpose of Kenneth's trip was initially to be a political adviser on the negotiations between the English and the Thai. The British had made twenty-one demands on the Thai, which would have made Thailand virtually a British colony. the…

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In 1945, Kenneth traveled out to Thailand for the British-Thai negotiations, and one of his first trips out of Bangkok was to Cambodia. Kenneth tells of his travel with his escort guards, how it took several hours to drive through a marching Japanese…

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