Whose historic American flag was displayed aboard USS Missouri during Japan’s 1945 surrender ceremony?

Commodore Matthew Perry’s flag was displayed aboard USS Missouri during Japan’s 1945 surrender ceremony.

The flag had been flown from Perry’s flagship during his 1853–54 expedition to Japan. Perry’s squadron entered Tokyo Bay and helped force the opening of Japan’s ports to American trade, making the flag a powerful historical symbol for the 1945 ceremony.

The placement was intentional: Missouri was anchored near the area where Perry’s ships had anchored almost 92 years earlier. The earlier expedition had pressured Japan to sign the Convention of Kanagawa, while the 1945 ceremony marked Japan’s defeat and the beginning of Allied occupation.

A common misconception says that this flag had flown over the White House during the attack on Pearl Harbor. It had not. The historic Perry flag was a 31-star U.S. flag and was displayed with its reverse side visible because of the way it was positioned. The original is preserved at the U.S. Naval Academy Museum.