Cigarette case with royal monogram of King Ananda Mahidol

Following Japanese occupation in 1941, the government of Thailand was coerced into declaring war on the United States. However, Mom Rajawongse Seni Pramoj, the head of the Thai royal legation to Washington, D.C., at the time, refused to deliver the declaration. In doing so, he prevented war between the United States and Thailand and actively worked with the Americans to liberate Thailand by developing the Free Thai Movement.

In 1945, two U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS) agents infiltrated Japanese-occupied Thailand to rendezvous with Luang Praditmanutham (Pridi Banomyong), the Regent of King Ananda Mahidol. The regent requested the officers return to the United States with a gift for President Franklin D. Roosevelt to convey the kingdom’s desire for peace.

This unspoken message of solidarity led President Roosevelt to secretly acknowledge the gift and express his gratitude through OSS officers in Thailand. Though small in size, this golden cigarette case demonstrates the power of a gift to shape history. -
Gift from Luang Praditmanutham (Pridi Banomyong), Regent of King Ananda Mahidol, to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1945