Which U.S. president proclaimed September 2, 1945, as the official V-J Day?

President Harry S. Truman proclaimed September 2, 1945, as the official V-J Day.

The date followed the formal signing of Japan’s Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Although Japan’s surrender announcement was broadcast on August 15 in Japan and August 14 in the United States because of time zones, Truman selected September 2 for the official American commemoration.

This creates a common date mix-up. Many people call August 14 or 15 V-J Day because those dates marked the public announcement that Japan had accepted the Allied terms. September 2 marked the legal and ceremonial completion of the surrender process.

V-J Day paralleled V-E Day, the Allied victory day in Europe. Truman’s proclamation therefore distinguished the official U.S. observance from the earlier celebrations that erupted when news of Japan’s surrender became public.