Which American general commanded the Allied surrender ceremony aboard USS Missouri in 1945?

Douglas MacArthur commanded the Allied surrender ceremony aboard USS Missouri in 1945.

MacArthur served as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers and accepted Japan’s surrender on behalf of the Allied nations. He opened the ceremony with brief remarks, then signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender using five pens. After the Allied representatives completed their signatures, MacArthur closed the proceedings.

Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz signed immediately after MacArthur as the United States representative. This sometimes causes confusion because Nimitz was the senior naval commander in the Pacific, while MacArthur held the overall occupation command for the surrender ceremony.

Afterward, MacArthur directed the Allied occupation of Japan. He arrived in Japan on August 30, 1945, and began establishing the occupation administration before the formal surrender ceremony took place. The ceremony itself lasted only about 23 minutes.