945 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130
This event is free and open to the public. Register today to join us in person or to view the event online.
On September 2, 1945, Imperial Japan officially surrendered to the United States and its allies. Join The National WWII Museum to commemorate the 80th anniversary of this world-changing event with a special presentation by Colonel Mike Bell, PhD, Executive Director of the Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy.
Following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japanese Emperor Hirohito made his now-famous public address via radio announcing a cessation of hostilities on August 15, 1945. Bell will discuss the two tenuous weeks that followed before Japan officially surrendered on September 2, as the Allies apprehensively negotiated with the Japanese military—knowing any wrong move could see a restart to the war.
The formal surrender ceremony, held aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, saw representatives from Japan sign the Instrument of Surrender in the presence of Allied military leaders. Bell will share stories of the protocol and procedures of this historic moment meticulously orchestrated by US General Douglas MacArthur, who accepted the surrender on behalf of the Allied powers, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the official end of the last remaining theater of World War II.
