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TIMELINE
James (Jim) Harrison Wilson Thompson was born in Greenville, Delaware, USA on 21 March 1906. He was unlike any other figure in Southeast Asia. He was a millionaire, a retired army officer, a one-time spy, a silk merchant and a renowned collector of antiques.
Of late, many things have been written about him: some true; some false. Here is a list of events that highlight his past.
Early 1900s: He studied at St. Paul’s boarding school.
1928: He graduated from Princeton University. Post-graduate studies followed at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Architecture but he failed to get his degree at this institution due to his weakness in calculus.
1931 to 1940: He was involved with the designing of homes for America's East Coast rich.
Early 1940s: He joined the Delaware National Guard. Before the outbreak of the Second World War, he was transferred to the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor of the Central Intelligence Agency.
1945: He was posted to Thailand after Victory over Japan Day.
1946: He returned to America to get his discharge from the army. After his divorce from Patricia Thraves, he returned to Bangkok to work on the restoration of the Oriental Hotel. Midway, he had some differences with his associates and this resulted in him giving up his shares. He subsequently switched his focus to silk.
1947: He headed for New York to promote his silk products. Edna Woolman Chase, the then-editor of Vogue, featured some of his products in her monthly publication.
1948: He partnered with George Barrie to found The Thai Silk Company.
1959: He completed the construction of his "House on the Klong". Today, it still stands out as one of Bangkok’s most charming attractions.
1962: He was awarded the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant by the Thai government.
March 17, 1967: He opened his flagship store on Surawong Road, Bangkok, Thailand.
March 23, 1967: He came to Malaysia with Mrs. Constance (Connie) Mangskau. They spent a day in Penang.
March 24, 1967: They left Penang for the Cameron Highlands to holiday at the "Moonlight" bungalow with Dr. Ling Tien Gi, a Singaporean-Chinese chemist and Mrs. Helen Ling, his Caucasian American-born wife.
March 25, 1967: He and Dr. Ling explored the jungle in the morning. Along the way, they got lost. Before noon, they managed to get out of the woods.
March 26, 1967: He left the "Moonlight" bungalow for a stroll at 1.30pm. Before leaving, he waved goodbye to his friends. When he failed to return at 6pm, Dr. Ling lodged a police report.
March 27, 1967: The police conducted a search for him in the morning. At sunset, they found no trace of him.
March 28, 1967: The police continued with their hunt for him. By now, word of his disappearance began to spread. More than 500 people were on the lookout for him. Throughout their search, they saw no sign of him.
April 1, 1967: Edwin Black, an American general came to the resort to look for him. He later said he found Thompson’s disappearance to be “rather strange”.
April 23, 1967: Richard Noone, a British anthropologist, went into the woods to search for him. After a 36-hour hunt, Noone concluded "Thompson isn’t in the jungle.”
April 25, 1967: Peter Hurkos, a Dutch psychic, arrived at the Highlands to assess Thompson’s predicament. He took it that Thompson was “abducted to another country.”
August 30, 1967: Mrs. Katherine Thompson Wood, Thompson's sister, was found dead in her home.
1974:Thompson was pronounced dead in absentia by a Thai court.
1976: The James H.W. Thompson Foundation was established in Bangkok, Thailand.