ABSTRACT

On 12 February 1943, Field Marshal Phibunsongkhram (Phibun), Thailand’s prime minister, handed a formal letter of resignation to the Council of Regency. The news of the prime minister’s sudden departure shocked the two regents and other cabinet ministers. Nevertheless, when public radio broadcasters announced the news of the premier’s resignation, Phibun retracted the resignation decision and sought to avenge those who drove him from office. Why did he resign and then reverse the decision? How can such confusing and irrational behaviours be explained when they remain a mystery even to historians? This article claims that Phibun engaged in a ‘feigned resignation strategy’, whereby he pretended to resign to see the reactions of different political factions and to test political loyalty. This article traces his pattern of feigned resignations from 1939 to 1944 to prove how he mastered such a strategy. Archival records indicate that he frequently informed his associates that he wished to resign from office but then eventually reversed his decision. Drawing from the concept of feigned resignation strategy, this article argues that the resignation in February 1943 stemmed from Phibun’s motive to identify and root out political opponents.

摘要

1943 年 2 月 12 日，泰国总理披汶元帅（披汶）向摄政委员会递交了正式辞职信。首相突​​然离职的消息震惊了两位摄政王和其他内阁部长。然而，当公共广播电台宣布总理辞职的消息时，Phibun 收回了辞职决定，并试图为那些将他赶下台的人报仇。他为什么辞职然后又撤销了决定？即使对历史学家来说，这些令人困惑和不合理的行为仍然是个谜，如何解释？这篇文章声称，Phibun 从事了一种“假辞职策略”，即他假装辞职以查看不同政治派别的反应并测试政治忠诚度。这篇文章追溯了他从 1939 年到 1944 年假辞职的模式，以证明他是如何掌握这种策略的。档案记录表明，他经常通知他的同事，他希望辞职，但最终又改变了决定。本文从假辞职战略的概念出发，认为 1943 年 2 月的辞职源于披汶识别和铲除政敌的动机。