Treaty of Manila (1946)

The Treaty of Manila, formally the Treaty of General Relations and Protocol, was signed on 4 July 1946 in Manila by United States High Commissioner Paul V. McNutt and Philippine President Manuel Roxas. It relinquished United States sovereignty over the Philippines and formally recognized the independence of the Republic of the Philippines, the culmination of a process set in motion by the 1934 Tydings-McDuffie Act. President Harry S. Truman signed the treaty on 14 August 1946 after the United States Senate gave its advice and consent on 31 July 1946, the Philippines ratified it on 30 September 1946, and it entered into force on 22 October 1946 when the two governments exchanged ratifications. Beyond the transfer of sovereignty itself, the treaty established the basic framework of general diplomatic relations between the two countries, including provisions on property, citizenship and continuing obligations left over from the American colonial administration, forming the legal starting point for the modern bilateral relationship between the United States and the Philippines.