Before high speed, secure communication technology existed in the form of computers/phones, how could a government confidently engage with someone claiming to represent a foreign nation’s government? I just imagine you’d risk someone with the ability to forge documents and put on a good performance being able to declare war on behalf of an unsuspecting country.
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[Somewhat relevant XKCD](https://xkcd.com/2650/)
People lying is a very old problem, as old as humanity at least and likely older still. So while yes it was possible to pretend to be someone you were not and make decisions that does not mean that everyone everywhere would take you at face value. Forged documents might help, but if you rock up and say you’re the Duke of Suchandsuch and you bear a message from King Soandso and nobody in the Court has heard of you, or your duchy then why would they believe you? At a minimum they might ask someone at Court they do know to verify that you are who you say you are.
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