- U.S.- Estonia Relations
- History of the U.S. and Estonia

The United States has maintained continuous official diplomatic relations with the Republic of Estonia since July 28, 1922. Frederick W. B. Coleman of Minnesota was appointed to be the first U.S. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Baltic States on September 20, 1922. He presented his credentials in Tallinn on November 20, 1922.
From 1919 to 1922, U.S. interests in the Republic of Estonia were represented by a U.S. Commissioner based in Riga (Latvia) and a U.S. Consul based in Tallinn. Estonian diplomats have been accredited to the U.S. Department of State since 1922 and Estonian consular representatives have operated in the United States continuously since 1920.
After the illegal occupation of Estonia by the Soviet Union on June 17, 1940, U.S. Under Secretary of State Sumner Welles issued a statement on July 23, 1940 which established the U.S. Government’s official policy of non-recognition. As a result, the United States never recognized the forcible incorporation of Estonia and the other Baltic republics of Latvia and Lithuania into the Soviet Union.
Following the restoration of Estonia’s rightful independence on August 21, 1991, the United States announced its readiness to re-establish full relations with the Republic of Estonia on September 2, 1991.
The Embassy of the United States of America began official operations on Wednesday, October 2, 1991, at twelve o’clock, in temporary chancery offices located at the Palace Hotel.
Robert C. Frasure of West Virginia was appointed the first U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Estonia on March 23, 1992. He presented his credentials on April 9, 1992.
The United States Mission to Estonia resumed operations in the current U.S. Embassy chancery building located on Kentmanni Street on February 6, 1992 – in the very same building which housed the U.S. Legation to Estonia from April 1, 1930 until it was forced to close on September 5, 1940.
Additional Information
History of Diplomatic Relations
- The U.S. Consulate in Reval, 1859-1870 (PDF 368K)
- U.S. Mission to Estonia Locations and Functions, 1920-1940 (PDF 316)
- U.S. Diplomatic Representatives to Estonia, 1919-1940 (PDF 371K)
- U.S. Recognition Statement, 1922 (PDF 182K)
- U.S. Under Secretary of State Sumner Welles: U.S. Non-Recognition Policy Statement, 1940 (PDF 203K)
Military-Related History
- USS Chattanooga: The First U.S. Navy Ship to Visit Estonia, 1919 (PDF 330K)
- USS Elrod and the Proud Tradition of U.S. Navy Warship Visits to Tallinn, 1919-2008 (PDF 384K)
Estonian State Decorations Awarded to U.S. Citizens
- U.S. Citizens Who Received Estonian State Awards, 1920-1940 (PDF 359K)
- U.S. Citizens Who Received Estonian State Decorations, 1995 – 2019 (PDF 562 KB)
Read Their Stories
Stories about U.S. Presidents in Estonia
John Quincy Adams and John F. Kennedy
Herbert Hoover
Stories about U.S. Diplomatic Personnel in Estonia
Henry W. Antheil, Jr., Diplomatic Courier
- The Kaleva Explosion, 1940 (PDF 325K)
Charles E. Bohlen and George F. Kennan, Diplomats
Harry E. Carlson, Consul
- The Carlsons at Home in Estonia, 1926-1937 (PDF 267K)
Virginia Hall, Consular Clerk
- Not Bad for Girl from Baltimore, 1938-1939 (PDF 398K)
John Patrick Hurley, Consul
Eugene Schuyler, Consul
- The Last U.S. Consul in Reval, 1869-1870 (PDF 359K)
John C. Wiley, Ambassador
- Bearing Witness: The Story of John & Irena Wiley, 1938-1940 (PDF 307K)
- On Rediscovering Maria Laidoner’s Secret, 1940 (PDF 312K)
Stories about U.S. Military Personnel in Estonia
Clifford A. Blanton and George W. Winfield, U.S. Army Lieutenants, American Red Cross
Loy W. Henderson, U.S. Army Captain, American Red Cross
August A. Krantz, U.S. Army Captain, American Peace Commission
- The Mysterious Captain Krantz, 1919 (PDF 373K)
Edward Ryan, U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, American Red Cross
Other Stories
Walter M. Chandler, U.S. Congressman
Herbert S. Gott, YMCA Director
Samuel Eliot Morison, Baltic Representative, American Peace Commission
- A Historian Who Made History, 1919 (PDF 385K)