Letter from Phraya Suriyawong Montri (Dit Bunnag) to President James Monroe, 1818

This letter from Dit Bunnag, an influential Thai politician, to President James Monroe is the earliest known correspondence between the governments of Thailand (then known as Siam), and the United States. In Portuguese, a commonly used language in the kingdom’s diplomatic communications at the time, Bunnag advised President Monroe that any Americans wishing to trade with the Kingdom of Siam should bring “Espingardas,” or rifles.

Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, James Monroe Papers