On May 8, 1944, Czechoslovak representatives signed an agreement with the Soviet Union which guaranteed the Soviets would pass the administration of liberated territory to the exiled government in London. Rudolf Viest became the deputy delegate for liberated territory responsible for this task, and in August 1944 traveled with the Czechoslovak delegation to the Soviet Union. After the start of the Slovak National Uprising on August 29, 1944, Ján Golian became the commander of the 1st Czechoslovak Army in Slovakia and urged the government-in-exile to send Viest to support the uprising. Viest returned to Slovakia during the night of October 6–7, 1944 to take official command of the uprising, and was made a member of the Slovak National Council on October 13. By the time Viest arrived to take command, achieving the original goals of the uprising was already likely unrealistic given internal infighting. On October 18, 1944, the German Army started a general offensive focused on eliminating resistance in the Slovak territory held by the insurgents. As the situation collapsed, Viest issued a final order from Donovaly during the night of 27-28 October for his forces to switch to guerrilla warfare. This order had only symbolic value, since the army as an organized unit had already ceased to exist, and the order could not be delivered to all troops due to disrupted communication lines.