Angela, I can vouch for the information in Hanson's book, when it comes to the Danish end (the last or penultimate chapter of the book). My friend, Hans Christiansen, was befriended with the preeminent, con amore botanist Gunnar Seidenfaden (probably the widest cited Danish botanist, when it comes to orchids - and the only one, to my knowledge, who has had a genus named in his honour, namely the monospecific genus Seidenfadenia) and he confirms Hansson's story about his visit to Seidenfaden.
Hans, actually, could add a few more stories, that explains why Seidenfaden, who as a diplomate was one of the founding fathers of CITES, became very sceptical towards the way it was administrated
Seidenfaden, who for a longer time was stationed as Denmarks ambassador to Thailand, contributed decisively to the description of the Thai orchid flora, often received plants from Thai colleagues and friends. The Plantedirektoratet, who in Denmark enforces the CITES regulations, seized some of Seidenfaden's plants - and decided to press charges against him., probably in the hope of gathering publicity by such a high profile case. Only the personal intervention by the then Danish Minister for the Environment, Svend Auken, who recognized Seidenfaden's important and unstinting efforts for the protection of the environment, brought the charges to a halt.
(As a curiosum one of the two Danish naval vessels, that these days protects our seas with regard to the environment, has been named "Gunnar Seidenfaden" in his honour)
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