Japanese Instrument of Surrender

The Japanese Instrument of Surrender ended World War II on September 2, 1945. In the surrender, Japan formally agreed to the terms set forth in the Potsdam Declaration, and ordered a cessation of hostilities of all Japanese forces. 

There are additional instruments of surrender that were carried out at other areas under Japanese control, including South Korea, the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and other Pacific islands.

The Japanese Instrument of Surrender will go on view as a Featured Document Display at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, on Thursday, August 28, 2025.

Japanese Instrument of Surrender, page 1, September 2, 1945. 
NAID: 1752336

We Can Do It!

This iconic poster presents a powerful image of a woman war worker's strength and determination during World War II. 

In 1942, the Westinghouse Company's War Production Coordinating Committee hired Pittsburgh artist J. Howard Miller to create a series of posters for the war effort. His "We Can Do It!" poster was initially used only internally by Westinghouse; it resurfaced decades after the war and soon became associated with the "Rosie the Riveter" moniker.

Click here to explore more historical posters and graphic works held by the National Archives.

“We can do it!” poster, ca. 1942. NAID: 535413

Pieces of History: USS Indianapolis

July 30, 2025, marked the 80th anniversary of the sinking of USS Indianapolis (CA-35), a Portland-class heavy cruiser secretly tasked with delivering parts of the first atomic bomb to the Pacific Island of Tinian during World War II. 

With its task completed, on the night of July 30, 1945, two weeks before the end of the war, while sailing from Guam to Leyte, the Indianapolis was torpedoed twice by a Japanese submarine. The crew of 1,199 men ended up in the waters of the Pacific. Accounts of the disaster are preserved in oral histories of those who survived.

USS Indianapolis (CA-35) - Cruiser. NAID: 496082659