[Captain Audio]

The King of Siam once offered to send elephants to US president Lincoln.

Thought I had replied to this but maybe I deleted my own comment by accident.

In Thailand this story is taken as true and it is the origin for the term "white elephant". That's because it is told that the elephant was albino, an obvious burden.

Apparently the story is true. Lincoln's letter declining the offer still exists.
The text follows.

February 3, 1862

Abraham Lincoln,
President of the United States of America.

To His Majesty Somdetch Phra Paramendr Maha Mongut,

King of Siam,

Great and Good Friend: I have received Your Majesty's two letters of the date of February 14th., 1861.

I have also received in good condition the royal gifts which accompanied those letters,---namely, a sword of costly materials and exquisite workmanship; a photographic likeness of Your Majesty and of Your Majesty's beloved daughter; and also two elephants' tusks of length and magnitude such as indicate that they could have belonged only to an animal which was a native of Siam.

Your Majesty's letters show an understanding that our laws forbid the President from receiving these rich presents as personal treasures. They are therefore accepted in accordance with Your Majesty's desire as tokens of your good will and friendship for the American People. Congress being now in session at this capital, I have had great pleasure in making known to them this manifestation of Your Majesty's munificence and kind consideration.

Under their directions the gifts will be placed among the archives of the Government, where they will remain perpetually as tokens of mutual esteem and pacific dispositions more honorable to both nations than any trophies of conquest could be.

I appreciate most highly Your Majesty's tender of good offices in forwarding to this Government a stock from which a supply of elephants might be raised on our own soil. This Government would not hesitate to avail itself of so generous an offer if the object were one which could be made practically useful in the present condition of the United States.

Our political jurisdiction, however, does not reach a latitude so low as to favor the multiplication of the elephant, and steam on land, as well as on water, has been our best and most efficient agent of transportation in internal commerce.

I shall have occasion at no distant day to transmit to Your Majesty some token of indication of the high sense which this Government entertains of Your Majesty's friendship.

Meantime, wishing for Your Majesty a long and happy life, and for the generous and emulous People of Siam the highest possible prosperity, I commend both to the blessing of Almighty God.

Your Good Friend, ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

Washington, February 3, 1862.

By the President:

WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.
Annotation

The original offer along with several very valuable gifts had been intended for James Buchanon. Since Lincoln was in office by the time the gifts and offer reached the USA he had the duty to decline for the stated reasons.

I'm sure Elephants could thrive in a number of regions of the USA, but probably not as a profitable venture.
The Zoo in Knoxville TN had a huge male Elephant known as "Old Diamond" who fathered most elephants born in the USA. They had a nice large habitat for the breeding stock.
My nephew worked there one summer and when he poked an old female with a broom to get her to return to her enclosure the elephant scooped up about 20-30 pounds of elephant poop with her trunk and flung it at him. He was plastered against the wall covered from head to toe in poop.