ABSTRACT
The Treaty of 1855 is an agreement between the United States and the Netherlands concerning the opening of consular representatives in the Dutch overseas possessions, including the Dutch East Indies. The interests of the American international shipping and commerce in Asia laid the foundation to this treaty. The Americans faced several difficulties with such a mercantilist rule in European countries, like the Netherlands, which closed their possessions from the international affairs. The Gibson case (1852–1854) led to the agreement. According to the Americans, the Dutch East Indies, which became the independent nation of Indonesia on 17 August 1945, was a stopover point for their broader interests in the global world.
