The International Studies Center (ISC) intends to establish a book series on Thailand's diplomatic history as a part of its publication programme. The ISC therefore wishes to express its deep appreciation to Ambassador Charivat Santaputra for permitting the ISC to reprint his book "Thai Foreign Policy
1932-1946" as the inaugural volume of this book series.

Ambassador Charivat's book covers a crucial period in Thailand's recent history as 1932 marked the change from absolute to constitutional monarchy. The decade that followed witnessed the difficult political transition to a parliamentary system, compounded by the impact of the Second World War. It was a period of profound political change in Thailand which brought in a group of new leaders, civilian and military, in foreign policy decision-making process. From the diplomatic historical perspective, the book very well describes Thailand's foreign policy from 1932 until 1946. It also throws an instructive light on the interaction between domestic politics and external relations, as well as the process of domestic power competition among the new political leaders.

This book has been printed already by The Thai Khadi Research Institute in 1985 and by the Committees on the Project for the National Celebration on the Occasion of the Centennial Anniversary of Pridi Banomyong, Senior Statesman in 2000. The ISC is pleased that it should have the honour to reprint it for the third time. This attests to the enduring value of this book to the study of Thailand's diplomatic history and politics