Jim Thompson

Known as the Thai Silk King, Jim Thompson had an interesting life. Starting out as an architect, he failed his exams four times before deciding to join the war effort abroad. Eventually, he was assigned to the OSS (the early CIA) and sent to Thailand. After leaving the OSS, he started a silk business. After producing the silk for the musical The King and I, his business boomed. In 1967, while at his “Moonlight” bungalow in Panang, he left for an afternoon stroll. He vanished soon after. An extensive search was conducted, but no one found his body. Many believed he was kidnapped, murdered, or left voluntarily to do secret business in Vietnam. Another theory speculates he was killed on a hit-and-run and the driver buried the body in an unmarked grave.