such war, "Estonia would be saved". However, on 16 June 1940, the Soviet Union delivered an ultimatum to the Estonian government. The Estonian government was forced to accept the ultimatum and a full Soviet invasion and occupation of the entire territory of Estonia followed on 17 June 1940. The Soviet invaders allowed Päts to stay in office, but he was forced already on 21 June 1940 to appoint a new pro-Soviet puppet government with Johannes Vares as prime minister. Päts became effectively a puppet himself, and over the following month he signed nearly 200 decrees issued by the new Stalinist regime. Amongst others, he signed a decree to change the electoral law, allowing the new regime to organize snap elections. This decree to change the law was unconstitutional, since the upper house of the Estonian parliament (Riigikogu) had been dissolved and never reconvened. The new Soviet-styled sham elections were held only for the lower chamber (Riigivolikogu), with voters being presented with a single list of Communists and fellow travellers. On Victory Day of 23 June 1940, Päts declared: "the greatest thing we have accomplished is the creation of the Estonian state. To her we have given our strongest love, our loyalty, our work, and our life." From 29 June 1940, Päts remained under permanent house arrest. Even in early July, Päts reportedly informed the German ambassador that he did not believe Estonia would be Sovietized. On 21 July 1940, the new pro-Stalinist "parliament" proclaimed Estonia a "Soviet Socialist Republic" and it is claimed that only then did Päts realize the essence of the Soviet occupation. Deportation to Soviet Russia and imprisonment On 21 July 1940, Päts sent his son Viktor to visit the United States' embassy in Tallinn, and to appeal for protection and asylum in the United States for himself and his family. The Acting US Secretary of State, Sumner Welles gave permission for issuing diplomatic visas to the entire Päts family already on the next day. Many Soviet-era sources claim that Päts had resigned from office on 21 July 1940. According to some other sources, he signed the resignation document on 22 July and the resignation was approved on 23 July 1940, making Päts formally the president of the new Estonian "Soviet Socialist Republic" for two days. Regardless of the exact chronology, the then pro-Soviet prime minister Vares, took over the president's powers as "Prime Minister in duties