Hanukkah at The White House | December 7, 2015
From the Archives
Hanukkah at The White House
Among the gifts from heads of state that are in the holdings of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum is a menorah presented to President Truman by Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion. The menorah dates back to at least 1767, when it was donated to a synagogue in Buergel, Germany.
Giving Thanks in 1945 | November 25, 2015
A Word from Harry
Presidential Proclamation 2673 – Thanksgiving Day, 1945
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
In this year of our victory, absolute and final, over German fascism and Japanese militarism; in this time of peace so long awaited, which we are determined with all the United Nations to make permanent; on this day of our abundance, strength, and achievement; let us give thanks to Almighty Providence for these exceeding blessings.
This Day in History: “Welcome Home from the crow eaters” | November 5, 2015
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
On November 5, 1948, a newly-elected President Truman and Vice President Barkley arrived back in Washington D.C. Hundreds of thousands of Americans lined D.C.’s streets, cheering for the president and singing “I’m Just Wild About Harry.”
TRU History | November 2, 2015
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
November 2 marks the anniversary of the biggest upset in presidential election history.
Presidential Quotes on Winning | November 2, 2015
WWII 70: Marching to Victory | September 4, 2015
WWII highlights from the Truman Library’s archives and collections
Marching to Victory: Prisoners of War
September 4, 1945
To Private Luther D. Bass and the hundreds of other Allied survivors of Tokyo POW Camp #8B, time must have seemed like it slowed to a crawl in early September 1945. Bass and many of his fellow prisoners of war had been captives of the Japanese for over three years, suffering hunger and forced labor. Now the war was over and they had been evacuated to the town of Onahoma to await liberation. Yet it would take several days for American forces to reach Onahoma. How had Bass survived his captivity, and how would he and his fellow POWs endure their anxious wait for liberation?
Read More
WWII 70: Marching to Victory | September 2, 2015
WWII highlights from the Truman Library’s archives and collections
Marching to Victory: The Formal Surrender of Japan
September 2, 1945
It is Sunday, September 2. Some 280 Allied warships and thousands of troops are staged in Tokyo Bay. On the deck of one vessel, the battleship USS Missouri, General Douglas MacArthur and 50 other Allied leaders are assembled. It is not a battle they have prepared for, however, but a brief ceremony. The men aboard the Missouri are about to witness Japan’s formal surrender.
Read More
Picturing History – Japan Surrenders | August 14, 2015
VICTORY!
“I have received this afternoon a message from the Japanese Government…”
At 7 pm on August 14, 1945, President Harry Truman stood before reporters gathered at the White House and announced the unconditional surrender of Japan. The Pacific War was over. Although the formal signing of the terms of surrender ending World War II would not occur until September 2nd, the announcement of Victory over Japan Day, or V-J Day, sent millions of Americans–citizens and members of the armed forces, out into the streets of cities and towns across the country and around the world.
WWII 70: Marching to Victory | August 14, 2015
WWII highlights from the Truman Library’s archives and collections
Marching to Victory: Japan Surrenders
President Truman’s News Conference
August 14, 1945
THE PRESIDENT. [reading]: I have received this afternoon a message from the Japanese Government–
WWII 70: Marching to Victory | August 14, 2015
WWII highlights from the Truman Library’s archives and collections
Marching to Victory: Japan Surrenders
August 14, 1945
As Emperor Hirohito and his cabinet accepted the surrender terms on August 14, officials on both sides knew Japanese commanders and soldiers would find it a bitter pill to swallow. How could Japan’s proud troops be convinced to lay down their arms and finally end the bloodshed of World War II?
Davidson Sommers’ oral history in the collections of the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum reveals how American and Japanese leaders worked out a last-minute plan to achieve peace.