Harry S. Truman announced Japan’s World War II surrender to the American public in August 1945.
Truman made the announcement in a nationwide radio address on August 14, 1945, U.S. Eastern War Time. He said Japan had accepted the Allied terms and explained that the formal surrender ceremony would take place later, aboard an Allied warship. The announcement triggered celebrations across the United States and other Allied countries.
Truman had become president after Franklin D. Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945. During Truman’s presidency, the United States used atomic bombs against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan. These events preceded Japan’s acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration.
The announcement date can cause confusion because the news was heard on August 15 in Japan and other parts of the world because of time-zone differences. The formal signing occurred on September 2, 1945, but Truman’s August broadcast announced the surrender before that ceremony.