Description:

JAPANESE INSTRUMENT OF SURRENDER
Official facsimile print copy of the 'Japanese Instrument of Surrender', 8pp. 14 in. x 20 in., with a one-star U.S. federal eagle watermark on all but the cover page and final Japanese page. This is an official copy commissioned by Douglas MacArthur 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. This written agreement, which formalized the surrender of the Empire of Japan and officially marked the end of hostilities in World War II, was signed by representatives from the Empire of Japan, as well as the representatives 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. The signing took place on the deck of USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945. General Douglas MacArthur's staff, headed by Colonel LeGrande A. Diller, prepared the original draft of the Instrument of Surrender. This was a challenge due to the lack resources in war-torn Manila, and the fact that the cessation of hostilities was only three weeks prior. It is told that an enterprising staff member found some rare parchment in a basement of a monastery, and was given to MacArthur's printer to use for the original. The document, first signed by the Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu, signing on behalf of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese government, and Yoshijiro Umezu on behalf of the Japanese Imperial Headquarters, was then signed by Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander, Southwest Pacific Area and Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, and subsequently witnessed by the other Allied representatives and delegates from other nations, including China, the United Kingdom, the USSR, France, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand. Upon conclusion of the official ceremony, Colonel Bernard Theilen took the document and an imperial rescript to Washington, D.C. on 6 September, where he presented them to President Harry S. Truman in a formal White House ceremony on the 7th. Following the ceremony led by General Jonathan Wainwright, the documents were then exhibited at the National Archives, and on October 1, 1945, the documents were formally received into the holdings of the National Archives. MacArthur initially had 11 full-sized facsimiles made of the Instrument of Surrender bound in red leather, with Diller being given one of these after the ceremony. Later this number was increased for distribution among the Allied nations and other U.S. officers present during the signing, with possibly as many as sixty being produced, although only a handful of this later version have surfaced. The subsequent printings were made as souvenir copies in various sizes as determined by the importance of the recipient or purpose of the copy. This particular copy is in an intermediate size as indicated above, and it is printed on paper featuring a special U.S. Federal one-star eagle watermark, indicating that it was produced at the time of the war, and is an official U.S. Federal document and not to be legally duplicated. This version is one inch smaller than the copies printed with the two-star U.S. Federal eagle on heavier stock given to higher officials. This unbound copy, loosely held together at top left corner by period original staple (undoubtedly placed there by the recipient) shows negligible chips to the stapled corners of the last two pages, and a couple small tears to the margins. Very rare, official version of this important historical document in overall fine condition. A two-star watermarked version, one inch larger all about, brought $47,500 at auction in 2015.

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November 13, 2025 10:00 AM EST
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