In 1945, The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Station Chief Allen Dulles in Switzerland negotiated the early surrender of German forces in Italy and Austria days before the final surrender of Germany, saving many lives.
The final liberation of the Philippines at the end of World War II released Filipinos from years of torment—but recognition of their courage and sacrifice was slow in coming.
As fighting came to an end in 1945, people the world over faced for the first time the unprecedented extent of destruction and loss of life caused by World War II. As the costs of victory came into devastating focus, the diplomatic responses, rising global tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, and social disruption that followed in the aftermath of this conflict showed that World War II was truly "the war that changed the world."
General Dwight D. Eisenhower and General Douglas MacArthur were men with very different personalities and yet both used the same brand of pen for the surrender documents in 1945. Each pen represents their owners’ personalities.