Harmon L. Graff Collection

The Harmon L. Graff Collection documents the experiences of U.S. and Allied military personnel who were present at the Japanese surrender ceremony aboard the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945, as well as Graff’s postwar efforts to identify, contact, and obtain autographs and written attestations from those who witnessed the event. Materials span mounted photographs, signed portraits, autographs, notes, correspondence, newsletters, and commemorative items.

The collection has a substantial number of autographed photographs from high-ranking military leaders, including Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, General Douglas MacArthur, Admiral William F. Halsey, General Joseph W. Stilwell, General Carl Spaatz, Lieutenant General James H. Doolittle, and many others. Many items feature personal inscriptions to Graff or handwritten statements confirming the individual’s presence at the surrender ceremony and, at times, describing their positions during the signing.

The collection also includes personal correspondence between Graff and servicemembers, most notably multiple letters from Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, discussing exchanged photographs, confirming requested signatures, and commenting on shared memories of the event. Additional documentation includes ceremony briefings, attendance lists, address compilations, newsletters published aboard the Missouri, news clippings about Graff’s collecting efforts, and printed commemorative materials like a booklet on the surrender ceremony and a biographical pamphlet on General Douglas MacArthur.

Photographs throughout depict senior officers, shipboard activities, and scenes from the surrender itself, including images of Nimitz signing the Instrument of Surrender, MacArthur addressing the assembled personnel, and groups of sailors and officers gathered on deck. Also present are gold bars and a star from Nimitz’s uniform, accompanied by a handwritten notice of provenance.