Which U.S. president publicly announced V-J Day in August 1945?

Harry S. Truman publicly announced V-J Day in August 1945.

Truman made the announcement from the White House on August 14, 1945, Washington time, after Japan accepted the Allied surrender terms. He declared that the proclamation marked Victory over Japan, commonly shortened to V-J Day in the United States.

The announcement followed Emperor Hirohito’s recorded radio address to Japan on August 15 in Japanese local time. Because of the international date line and time differences, August 14 was observed as V-J Day in the United States, while August 15 became the common date in Japan and several other countries.

V-J Day did not mean that the formal surrender document had already been signed. Japanese representatives signed that document aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. Truman’s announcement marked the end of organized fighting as publicly understood, while the legal ceremony came later.