During the years 1832–6,
Diplomat Edmund Roberts was appointed by President
Andrew Jackson as America's first envoy to the Far East, and served on two consecutive non-resident embassies aboard the U. S. Navy
sloop-of-war Peacock to the court of King
Nangklao (
Rama III of the Kings of Thailand.) Roberts negotiated the
Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Siam and the United States of 1833 and returned in 1836 to exchange ratifications. The Roberts treaty, with subsequent modifications, is still in force. Roberts also negotiated a treaty and exchanged ratifications with the Sultan of
Oman. The current ambassadorial residence was built by the English businessman Henry Victor Bailey in 1914. After his death in 1920, this house was sold to the Thai finance ministry. After WWII, Great Britain sought to punish Thailand for having aided Japan, but the U.S. hindered their efforts. For this, the Thai government thanked the U.S. with the house in 1947 and it has been used as the official residence ever since. In 1975 a large scale protest, of about 10,000 students, took place outside the embassy when Thai air bases were used by the
U.S. Air Force to launch attacks against Cambodia during the
seizure of SS Mayaguez, without the permission of the government of Thailand and without informing the embassy. There were two major events in the 20th century between the two nations. One is the
Treaty of Amity and Economic Relations which facilitates U.S. and Thai companies' economic access to one another's markets. Other important agreements address civil uses of atomic energy, sales of agricultural commodities, investment guarantees, and finally military and economic assistance. The other is a Free Trade Agreement between the two nations that was proposed in 2004. Since the military coup of May 2014, relationships between Thailand and the United States have experienced strains, with several ultra-nationalist demonstrations in front of the U.S. Embassy on
Witthayu Road, and even charges alleged against the U.S. ambassador for lese majeste. The U.S. trimmed military aid to Thailand, the latter which has been courting closer relationships with China and Russia. == Embassy complex ==