14 August 1945 is commonly associated in the United States with the initial announcement of Japan's surrender.
President Harry S. Truman announced Japan's surrender to the American public on the evening of 14 August, Washington time. Because Japan was several hours ahead, Hirohito's recorded broadcast was heard in Japan on 15 August. Newspapers and crowds in the United States therefore treated 14 August as the American announcement date.
The date is part of a wider V-J Day confusion. In Japan and the United Kingdom, 15 August is commonly remembered for the emperor's broadcast. The formal surrender ceremony took place later, on 2 September, when the Instrument of Surrender was signed aboard USS Missouri.
These dates describe different stages of the same ending: the decision and announcement, the public broadcast, and the formal legal signing. Truman initially declared 2 September the official V-J Day in the United States, while popular usage also attached V-J Day to the August announcement.