Last week it was the moon landing, today it's another 50th anniversary, US President Richard Nixon visiting Thailand. Just a week after congratulating the US astronauts on the lunar triumph, Mr and Mrs Nixon landed in Bangkok on July 28, 1969, on their way to embattled South Vietnam.
Although he was just beginning to feel a backlash from the deteriorating situation in Vietnam, Nixon was at the height of his popularity which had been enhanced by the successful Apollo 11 mission.
Despite the constant drizzle he was greeted by large crowds and chants of "We want Nixon". It happened to be around the time that Goldie Hawn, appearing on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in, had made "sock it to me" a worldwide catchphrase and amongst the posters displayed in Bangkok was a "Sock it to them hard, Nix".
Nixon was a great fan of the Thai people, saying "they have a verve and mystique not to be found anywhere on Earth". He also rated Bangkok as one of his favourite cities, having visited three times before. He once called Bangkok a "perfect place" and said much the same in his speech in 1969. A little flattering perhaps, but remember he was talking about the Bangkok of the 1950s and 1960s. One wonders what he would have made of Bangkok today.
Lurking lizards
Nixon was the second US President to enjoy a state visit to Thailand, the first being Lyndon Johnson in 1966. LBJ returned the following year to meet US military personnel at Korat air base before going on to South Vietnam. Since then Thailand has greeted Bill Clinton (1996), George W Bush (2008) and Barack Obama (2012).
There was an entertaining incident before the Obama visit when the advance team of the US Secret Service were carrying out a security sweep in Bangkok. At Government House they expressed alarm at seeing giant lizards ambling around the grounds. It turned out they had mistaken them for the carnivorous komodo dragons found in parts of Indonesia. Thai officials calmed them down, explaining that, while the Thai monitor lizards might not win any beauty competitions, they are relatively harmless. Nonetheless it was reported that the lizards obediently kept their heads down during Mr Obama's visit.
Squeaky-clean
One of the good points of US presidential visits is that it means Bangkok gets a good spring-clean -- at least the bits of the city the visiting statesman will see. Preceding any such visit there is always noticeable activity featuring the filling in of potholes, strategically placed potted plants hiding the ugly bits and some hasty paint jobs on buildings that are looking a bit the worse for wear. And of course the monitor lizards are ordered to keep a low profile, along with the tuk-tuks.
Bangkok could actually do with a touch of sprucing up at the moment. I wonder if the current gentleman in the White House fancies a trip to the Land of Smiles?
Empty streets
The one thing that must not happen, of course, is for visiting delegations to be stuck in a traffic jam. Heaven forbid, they might even think it is a regular occurrence. So streets are cleared, schools closed and sometimes even a national holiday declared to ensure the visiting dignitaries can whiz around the city at their pleasure.
In a weird way you have to sympathise with the VIP visitors. They must feel a bit cheated if they return home without dramatic tales of horrendous traffic jams to relate at boring cocktail parties in Europe or wherever. A halfway decent Bangkok traffic jam tale almost ranks up there with a war wound as a conversation piece in diplomatic circles.
Paws for thought
Most important news of the week is undoubtedly that Larry the cat has a new housemate, a certain Boris Johnson, aka "BoJo". As most people are probably aware, Larry is the house cat at 10 Downing Street, although his official title is "Chief Mouser".
You may have seen the brown and white tabby prowling the area or sitting on the doorstep at No 10, perusing with some disdain the customary media circus on the opposite side of the street.
Larry was a stray at Battersea Dogs and Cats home before being picked up by No 10 staff in 2011 when David Cameron moved in. Despite his official title, Larry has not been the most efficient rat catcher and received an official reprimand in 2012 when a large rodent was spotted taking a stroll in Cameron's study. The cat reportedly spends most of his time sleeping, prompting the tabloid press to dub him "Lazy Larry".
However he has been involved in a number of territorial skirmishes with fellow felines, particularly with Palmerston, the younger resident moggy at the nearby Foreign Office. Larry is also said to be less than friendly with Gladstone, the chief mouser at the Treasury.
Cat nap
The cat even became a topic of parliamentary debate a few years ago when it was suggested that Cameron was less than affectionate toward Larry. Cameron later produced a photograph of Larry sitting on his lap and tweeted they got on "purr-fectly well".
Larry also made news during President Trump's visit when the cat lay down for a nap under the President's Cadillac and refused to move, causing some amusement. Now that's one scenario the Secret Service hadn't covered in their training.
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