Description:

JAPANESE INSTRUMENT OF SURRENDER, ONE OF TWELVE
A very rare official copy of the 'Japanese Instrument of Surrender', 8pp. 14 in. x 20 in., with a one-star U.S. Army eagle watermark, produced at Gen. Douglas MacArthur's post-war headquarters in Tokyo for presentation to top officers as a remembrance of their participation in the war, or participation in the formal ceremony in which this document was executed on the deck of USS MISSOURI in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. The copy offered here is in the 'full size' format, printed on paper featuring a special U.S. Army one-star eagle watermark, indicating that it was produced at the time of the surrender, and as such an official U.S. Federal document and not to be legally duplicated. Only a handful of these additional versions have ever surfaced, and based on the special features of this example, being full size with the one-star watermark, we believe this one was part of the final 12 copies produced at the request of MacArthur. History has it that MacArthur's staff, headed by Colonel LeGrande A. Diller, prepared the original draft of the document on sheets of rare parchment scavenged in worn-torn Manila from the basement of a monastery. It is believed the same parchment was also used to for the two original documents (sized 20 x 27 in.) signed in the the official ceremony. The signing ceremony, which took place on the deck of USS MISSOURI in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, formalized the surrender of the Empire of Japan and officially marked the end of hostilities in World War II. First signed by the Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu on behalf of the Emperor of Japan, and Yoshijiro Umezu on behalf of the Japanese Imperial Headquarters, they were then signed by MacArthur, and subsequently witnessed by the Allied representatives and delegates of the Allied nations who fought the Japanese, including: the United States of America, the Republic of China, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of Canada, the Provisional Government of the French Republic, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Dominion of New Zealand. Upon conclusion of the official ceremony, Col. Bernard Theilen took the original to Washington DC, and presented the document along with an imperial rescript, to President Harry S. Truman in a formal White House ceremony on the September 7, 1945. The original was then exhibited at the National Archives and, on October 1, 1945, and the document was formally received into the holdings of the National Archives. Although the exact details vary depending on sources, it is claimed that MacArthur initially had 11 full-sized (15 in. x 22 in.) facsimiles of the Instrument of Surrender bound in red leather for the signees, with an additional 60 half-size (8.5 in. x 11 in.) facsimiles, also in red leather, made aboard the USS Missouri for VIPs in attendance. Finally, an additional 12 full size copies (of which this is one) were made at the request of MacArthur for additional high ranking U.S. military officers present at the ceremony, and although this series was deemed 'full size', all are actually one inch smaller all around, having been trimmed. The example being offered here is exact in formatting, special size, and having the one-star U.S. Army eagle watermark on all but two pages (cover page and Japanese page 8), matching the final 12 official copies produced for MacArthur. Later, due to overwhelming requests for copies, this number was increased for wider distribution among the Allied nations and other U.S. officers, with possibly as many as 60 more being produced. These subsequent printings were made as souvenir copies WITHOUT watermarks and in various sizes and formats, as determined by the importance of the recipient, or purpose of the copy. Loosely held together with a period staple at top left, the first four pages have become dislodged, negligible chips to the corners with some small tears to the bottom margins, some repaired with archival tape, with page 4 bearing one two inch tear, also having been repaired with archival tape. Overall very good condition. A two-star watermarked version, one of the first eleven given to the signors, achieved $47,500 at auction in 2015.

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March 26, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $999,999 $10,000
$1,000,000 $1,999,999 $50,000
$2,000,000 + $100,000