5…………… This economic measure was a very audacious move, which certainly made him unpopular among the military and the bureaucracy and could easily have caused an upheaval within the country. King Rama VII himself was extremely upset and had commented thus to military officers on February 5, 1931, concerning the tight money situation, "I strongly feel that I was born only to chop things down. I have done that from the beginning and will have to do so again until I do not know what is going to happen next. It is unfortunate that I have to be doing all of these things often and I fully realize that people who are the victims of the reduction program will be in deeper trouble since it is difficult for them to find other means of livelihood. I, consequently, feel extremely heavyhearted and most sympathetic for those who have to leave. If I have other ways in which I could shoulder the burden, I would do every thing for them but as it is I have no other alternatives. I cannot do anything else but to cut down on expenses...