Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Advanced Search
Back to Collection Search

Forrestal, James, 1892-1949 [Naval Dispatch Announcing Victory in Japan]

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC09649.01 Author/Creator: Forrestal, James, 1892-1949 Place Written: s.l. Type: Typed document Date: 15 August 1945 Pagination: 1 p. : Height: 16.6 cm, Width: 20 cm Order a Copy

Typed Naval dispatch concerning the end of World War II. This message was received in the radio room of the USS Vella Gulf CVE-111, an escort carrier, at sea in the Northwest Pacific with 26th carrier division of the 7th fleet (just days before she had been anchored at Okinawa). The message reads "All hands of the United States Navy Marine Corps and Coast Guard may take satisfaction in the conclusion of the war against Japan and pride in the part played by them in accomplishing that result. The demobilization of the Armed Forces of the United States and the return to conditions of peace will create problems taxing the patience and control almost as great as the tensions of war. I wish the discipline which has served so well to bring this democracy through hours of great crisis be maintained to the end that nothing shall mar the record of accomplishment and glory that now belongs to the Navy Marine Corps and Coast Guard."

Forrestal, James, 1892-1949
Great Depression and World War II, 1929-1945
World War II
Surrender
Marines
World War II

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources

The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.