Estonian Diplomatic Service (1940–1991)

Estonia was occupied on 17 June 1940, by Red Army troops and was forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union on 6 August 1940. The United States never recognized the illegal annexation of the three Baltic countries – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – in conformity with the principles of the Stimson Doctrine (US Under Secretary of State Sumner Welles's Declaration of July 23, 1940), and more than 50 countries followed this position.

Republic of Estonia
Diplomatic service in exile

Coat of arms of Estonia
Agency overview
Formed	1940
Dissolved	1991
Superseding agency	Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Estonia)
Jurisdiction	Diplomatic missions of Estonia in countries that did not recognize the Soviet occupation and annexation of Estonia
Headquarters	United States
Agency executives	Johannes Kaiv Ernst Jaakson

Part of a series of articles on the
Occupation of the Baltic states
Baltic states Nazi Germany Soviet Union
Background Baltic–Soviet relations Non-Aggression Pacts Soviet-Estonian Soviet-Latvian Soviet-Lithuanian German-Estonian German-Latvian German-Lithuanian Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
Soviet occupation in 1940 Mutual Assistance Treaties Soviet-Estonian Soviet-Latvian Soviet-Lithuanian Orzeł incident Ultimata to Estonia to Latvia to Lithuania People's Parliament Sovietization Deportations from Estonia from Latvia from Lithuania June deportation Welles Declaration
German occupation Estonia Occupation Resistance Holocaust Latvia Occupation Resistance Holocaust Lithuania Occupation Resistance Holocaust
Soviet re-occupation in 1944 Battle of Narva Baltic offensive Courland Pocket Guerrilla war in the Baltic states Latvian partisans Lithuanian partisans
Under Soviet rule Guerrilla war in the Baltic states Operation Priboi Operation Jungle Estonian SSR Latvian SSR Lithuanian SSR Territorial changes Baltic Way Singing Revolution Sąjūdis Tautas fronte Rahvarinne Congress of Estonia
State continuity Baltic diplomatic services (1940–91) Estonian Latvian Lithuanian Kersten Committee Helsinki Accords
Aftermath Estonia–Russia relations Latvia–Russia relations Lithuania–Russia relations Russians in Estonia Russians in Latvia Russians in Lithuania

The Republic of Estonia, from 1940 through 1991, continued to exist as a state de jure according to international law during the whole period of its actual occupation and annexation. Therefore, some Estonian diplomatic and consular representations continued to function from 1940 through 1991 in some Western countries (the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and others), dealing with a limited part of state functions of the Republic of Estonia.

The heads of the Estonian Diplomatic Service were Johannes Kaiv (1940-1965) and Ernst Jaakson (1965-1991). In 1969, Ernst Jaakson signed the Apollo 11 Goodwill Messages on behalf of the Estonian nation, among leaders of 73 countries from around the world.[1]