The Bates Treaty was an agreement between the United States and the Sultanate of Sulu through US General John Bates and Sultan Hadji Mohammed Jamalul Kiram II, respectively. The treaty was signed on August 20, 1899, in Jolo, Sulu. The treaty provided for the “mutual respect” between the US and Sulu and the US’ recognition of the Sultanate’s autonomy. The treaty was conceptualized in order to contain Moro resistance in the southern Philippines during the Philippine-US war.
