Which U.S. president announced Japan’s surrender to the American public on August 14, 1945?

Harry S. Truman announced Japan’s surrender to the American public on August 14, 1945.

Truman’s radio announcement aired at 7 p.m. Eastern War Time after the Allied governments received word that Japan had accepted the surrender terms. The broadcast triggered large public celebrations across the United States, including the famous scenes in New York’s Times Square.

The announcement came before the formal surrender ceremony, which took place aboard USS Missouri on September 2. Truman therefore distinguished between the public announcement of Japan’s acceptance and the later signing of the surrender document.

Date labels can cause confusion because the announcement was heard as August 14 in the Americas, while Emperor Hirohito’s broadcast to Japan occurred on August 15 in Japan Standard Time. The two dates reflect time-zone differences surrounding the same final surrender crisis.