An End to Improvisation in Thailand

BANGKOK--Fifty-five years ago, the King of Siam met the King of Swing. With Cold War tensions ratcheting up, Thailand's young monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, embarked on a month-long tour of the U.S. to highlight the strong ties between Washington and Bangkok. In California, Bhumibol and his family visited Disneyland and rubbed elbows with Elvis, Bob Hope, and Lucille Ball. In Washington, the King paraded down Pennsylvania Avenue in an open limousine, received the Legion of Merit from President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and addressed a joint session of Congress. On July 4th, Governor Nelson Rockefeller hosted the King at a lavish party in New York. But perhaps the most memorable part of...