On 17 May 1940, the Latvian government granted its envoy in London, Kārlis Zariņš, emergency powers to direct the work of diplomatic and consular missions and represent the state’s interests if wartime conditions cut communications with Riga. One month before the Soviet occupation, this seemingly technical decision became a pillar of Latvian state continuity – Zariņš continued to act in the name of the Republic of Latvia in the West until his death in 1963.

The emergency powers were not a full mandate for a government-in-exile, but they gave a legal basis for the work of Latvia’s diplomatic service during the occupation years. Western non-recognition policy and the continued activity of Latvian legations helped sustain the position that the Republic of Latvia had not ceased to exist de iure.