Nate Thayer

Nathaniel Talbott Thayer (21 April 1960 – 3 January 2023) was an American journalist. He wrote about politics. He is best known for interviewing Pol Pot, the former dictator of Cambodia, in 1997.

Nate Thayer
Born	Nathaniel Talbott Thayer (1960-04-21)April 21, 1960 Washington, D.C., U.S.
Died	c. January 3, 2023(2023-01-03) (aged 62) Falmouth, Massachusetts, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Journalist

Early life and education

Thayer was born on 21 April 1960 in Washington, D. C.^[1][2] His father was politician Harry E. T. Thayer, his uncle was lawyer Robert S. Pirie, and his great-uncle was politician Adlai Stevenson II.^[2][3][4]

Thayer studied at the University of Massachusetts Boston but did not get a degree.^[5]

Career

Thayer is best known for interviewing members of the Khmer Rouge, who were the leaders of Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. The Khmer Rouge caused the Cambodian genocide. Thayer is mostly known for his interview with Pol Pot, the dictator of Cambodia and leader of the Khmer Rouge.^[2] Thayer had moved to Cambodia in 1991 to write for the Far Eastern Economic Review and spent years trying to get an interview with Pol Pot. In July 1997, Thayer tried to get an interview but did not. He was told he could only get an interview once Pol Pot's trial, which had just begun, would end.^[6][7] In October, he returned and got an interview with Pol Pot. In this interview, Pol Pot denied that a genocide happened in Cambodia. He defended himself against Thayer. The next year, Thayer interviewed Ta Mok, another important member of the Khmer Rouge.^[8] In April 1999, Thayer and photographer Nic Dunlop interviewed Kang Kek Iew, who was the chief of the S-21 prison where thousands of people were tortured and killed,^[9] to prove that he was responsible for the murders at S-21.^[10]

Thayer filmed footage of Pol Pot's trial. Thayer agreed to give the footage to ABC News on their show Nightline. According to Thayer, ABC News took credit for his footage and spread it more than he had agreed to. He was nominated for a Peabody Award for his work with ABC News, but declined it because he did not want to share the award with them.^[11]

Pol Pot died in April 1998. Thayer helped transport his body for cremation.^[12][13] Thayer believed that Pol Pot committed suicide instead of dying naturally.^[14]

Thayer also wrote on the 2010 Bangkok Redshirt riots, the January 6 United States Capitol attack, the politics of Thailand, North Korea, and Iraq, and on far-right white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan and Oath Keepers.^[15][16] He wrote for Soldier of Fortune, Associated Press,^[17] The Phnom Penh Post,^[18] and wrote a five-piece article about the Iraq War for Slate.^{[19][20][21][22][23]}

Personal life

Thayer moved to Cambodia in 1991 and returned to the US in 2000. He lived in Falmouth, Massachusetts.^[2]

Thayer had a dog named Lambot.^[2] According to Thayer, white supremacists threatened to decapitate his dog due to his writings about them.^[24]

Thayer was hospitalized several times for malaria while living in Cambodia. He was almost killed by a landmine in Cambodia in 1989. Because he was around so much gunfire and explosions, he developed hearing problems. He also used drugs and alcohol. In a Facebook post in August 2022, Thayer said he was "old and crippled" and had "two strokes, two heart attacks, two bouts with Covid, sepsis infections which went viral and left me with heart and other damage.”^[2]

Thayer was found dead at his home on 3 January 2023 at the age of 62 by his brother Robert. The exact day he died is unknown.^[2]