Box AR00054

Abstract

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.

Scope and Contents This folder contains photographs and handwritten notes documenting military personnel’s experiences during the Japanese surrender ceremony aboard the USS Missouri on 2 September 1945. Included are materials from Thomas J. Albergo, Captain Fitzhugh Lee, William D. Allbright, Admiral Forrest Sherman, James E. Hammond, and John Basil Kopcha. The folder also contains photographs and notes from Robert E. Murphy, Earl Thomas Reader, an unidentified serviceman, and senior officers including General...

Scope and Contents This folder contains mounted photographs of senior military leaders, many bearing autographs and personal inscriptions addressed to Harmon L. Graff. Included are images of General Thomas White, General Nathan F. Twining, Lieutenant General Richard K. Sutherland, Captain Cunningham, Major General William A. Marquat, General Carl Spaatz, Vice Admiral Joel T. Boone, Lieutenant General James H. Doolittle, and Lieutenant General Frank Berryman. Several items include notes or certifications from...

Scope and Contents This folder contains photographs of senior military leaders associated with the Japanese surrender ceremony aboard the USS Missouri, including a signed image of Brigadier General Joseph Howard Fellows, Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner, Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Lieutenant General Roy S. Geiger, Rear Admiral Forrest P. Sherman, and Commander Hal A. Lamar, who notes his presence during the event. Additional mounted photographs bearing autographs include General Walter Krueger, Captain...

Scope and Contents This folder contains mounted photographs and notes from senior military leaders and servicemembers associated with the Japanese surrender ceremony aboard the USS Missouri. Included are autographed photographs of Lieutenant General Bonner Fellers, General Joseph W. Stilwell, Commander Horace D. Moulten, Lieutenant General Joseph M. Swing, Air Vice Marshal William D. Bostock, and Lieutenant General Clovis E. Byers. Materials also feature several items related to Herman L. Graff, including a...

Scope and Contents This folder contains mounted photographs and notes from senior military leaders and servicemembers associated with the Japanese surrender ceremony aboard the USS Missouri. It includes four thin gold bars, one thicker gold bar, and a star cut from Nimitz’s uniform, mounted on paper with his handwritten note stating it came from one of his uniforms and was given to Harmon L. Graff. The folder also holds signed photographs and accompanying notes from officers and servicemen, including Petty...

Scope and Contents This folder contains photographs of high-ranking military officers and notable figures, each accompanied by autographs and, in most cases, personal notes addressed to Herman L. Graff or Harmon L. Graff. Included are images of Vice Admirals R.E. Collins, Fitzhugh Lee, John F. Shafroth, Lloyd J. Wilstie, Ralph E. Wilson, and Admirals Frederick C. Sherman and Robert B. Carney, as well as Colonel William E. Rhoades and Major General Spencer B. Atkins. Also present is a photograph of Harold E....

Scope and Contents This folder contains photographs and a painting print of senior military officers, each accompanied by autographs and, in most cases, notes addressed to Harmon L. Graff. Featured are Rear Admirals J. Cary Jones and Joseph C. Cronin; Vice Admirals Charles A. Lockwood, Wilder D. Baker, Roland N. Smooth, and Donald B. Beary; Admirals John M. Higgens and John J. Ballentine; Lieutenant Generals William T. Clement and Roy S. Geiger; Major General Lief J. Sverdrup; and Brigadier Generals Orville E....

Scope and Contents This folder contains photographs, autographs, and notes from senior military officers and other individuals connected to the Japanese surrender ceremony aboard the USS Missouri. Included are images of Lieutenant Generals Robert L. Eichelberger, Stephen Jones, and Barney McKay Giles; Vice Admirals Howard F. Kingman and Horace V. Bird; Admirals Frederick C. Sherman and Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz; Rear Admirals John F. Shafroth, George Dunbar Moore, and Edwin T. Layton; and Captain Paul R....

Scope and Contents

This folder contains a postcard featuring an image of the USS Missouri, two newsletters published for the vessel—including one issued for Navy Day highlighting the ship’s role in the Pacific War victory and another detailing the Japanese surrender aboard the ship—and a photograph of an unidentified Navy sailor in uniform standing before a vehicle with a dog at his feet.