Theories abound over what really happened to the famous American who, prior to carving a name as a successful silk merchant in Thailand, was a decorated secret agent with the United States’ Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the predecessor to the present-day Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

After serving with distinction during the Second World War, Thompson turned his attention into reviving Thailand’s lagging silk industry where he managed to turn it world famous, counting Hollywood’s biggest stars as among his clients.

So what really happened to the 61-year-old American? Speculations are rife about his fate ranging from being eaten by a roaming tiger, lost in the confusing forest trail, fallen into a ravine or kidnapped.

Now, a new documentary titled “Who Killed Jim Thompson”, which premiered in Thailand several days ago, has made an explosive revelation, claiming that it finally knew what had happened to the former spy and famous silk trader.

“Jim Thompson was executed by the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM),” claimed its producer Barry Broman from Adventure Film Productions here recently.

Speaking during a premiere of his documentary here, he claimed the new information, which had linked CPM to Thompson’s disappearance, was discovered by his friend Xuwicha “Noi” Hiranpruek about five years ago.

He recalled that Hiranpruek contacted him and told him about the new information which he thought could potentially put to rest the mysterious disappearance of the famous American in Malaysia.

Hiranpruek, who was also present during the premiere, said the information which implicated the CPM with Thompson’s disappearance came about following his conversation with a Singaporean friend, Teo Pin, who now lives in Shanghai.

Teo, a surveyor, who also attended the premiere, knew about CPM’s involvement from the deathbed confessions of his late uncle, Teo Pok Hwa, who once served as a senior CPM cadre.

During his stay at Cameron Highland’s Moonlight Cottage, Thompson, according to Teo as told by his late uncle, had made known his intention of wanting to meet Chin Peng, who was at that time CPM’s secretary-general, for reasons unknown to him.

“Thompson wanted to meet Chin Peng, who was then the most wanted man in Malaysia,” he said, adding that a request from the American had elicited suspicions in Cameron Highlands, which at that time was a hotbed for communist activities.

He also claimed Moonlight Cottage, where the American stayed before his disappearance, had once served as the CPM headquarters.

Teo said the dangerous request to meet the most wanted man in the Malaysia had forced the CPM and its sympathisers in Cameron Highlands to dig more information about Thompson and eventually unravelled his past as a secret agent with a Western intelligence agency.

Broman said it was not a good time for a Westerner with a past history of being an intelligence agent to be asking to meet Chin Peng, adding the CPM later determined that Thompson was a spy and decided to put an end to his life.

“Jim (Thompson) should have known better than to ask for Chin Peng. He took a big chance which could have possibly cost him his life,” he said.

This new piece of information which linked the CPM with Thompson’s disappearance, according to Broman, was further corroborated with other newly-found information they sourced from Willis Bird Jr, or better know as Billy among his friends.

Billy’s late father, Willis Bird Sr, he said, was Thompson’s colleague during their time in the OSS where both of them had cultivated a close relationship with Thailand’s then Prime Minister Pridi Banomyong before he was ousted and sent into exile in China.

According to Billy, who was present during the premiere, Pridi wanted his father to meet him in China, but Bird Sr declined the invitation which was eventually taken up by the adventurous Thompson, who travelled to Cameron Highlands for that purpose.

His father had told him that the American “King of Thai Silk” was killed by the CPM at the behest of the Communist Party of China to impede his effort to meet the exiled former Thai prime minister in China.