#jonathan wainwright

General Jonathan Wainright and Mrs. Wainright Unveiling Japanese Surrender Documents, September 12, 1945

Series: Historic Photograph File of National Archives Events and Personnel, 1935 - 1975. Record Group 64: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, 1789 - ca. 2007

After Japan officially surrendered on September 2, 1945,  the Instrument of Surrender was presented to President Harry S. Truman at the White House on September 7, 1945, it was put on exhibit at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and it was later formally accessioned into its holdings.

As the Allied Commander in the Philippines during the Fall of Corregidor, General Jonathan Wainright was taken prisoner in 1942 and spent the remaining three years of the war as the highest ranking American POW in Japanese captivity. After his release he was among those present at the official surrender ceremony, and can been seen standing immediately behind Douglas MacArthur in the photo of the signing.

The Instrument of Surrender will be on exhibit in the National Archives Museum  from August 27 through October 28, 2015, marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. 

“General of the Army Douglas MacArthur and Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright greet each other at the New Grand Hotel, Yokohama, Japan, August 31, 1945, in their first meeting since they parted on Corregidor more that three years before.”