On 20 April 1928 in Riga, Latvia and the United States signed the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Consular Rights. It was signed for Latvia by Foreign Minister Antons Balodis and for the United States by F. W. B. Coleman, the U.S. envoy to the Baltic states. The 31-article treaty strengthened the diplomatic and economic framework between the two countries in the interwar period, when Latvia had already gained international recognition but was still actively building its foreign-policy infrastructure.

The United States recognized Latvia de jure on 28 July 1922, and the 1928 treaty became one of the key documents deepening the relationship. It regulated not only principles of friendship and trade but also consular protection—especially important for a state with a diaspora and an expanding network of international contacts.