This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/1/2026
Rare Victory-in-Europe Day proclamation signed by Harry Truman as President. Dated 8 May 1945, large and stunning document formally announces the end of war in Europe after the surrender of Nazi Germany. Text reads in part, ''The Allied Armies, through sacrifice and devotion and with God's help, have wrung from Germany a final and unconditional surrender. The Western World has been freed of the evil forces which for five years and longer have imprisoned the bodies and broken the lives of millions upon millions of free-born men. They have violated their churches, destroyed their homes, corrupted their children, and murdered their loved ones. Our Armies of Liberation have restored freedom to these suffering peoples, whose spirit and will their oppressors could never enslave...'' Proclamation is rubricated in red, blue and gilt for strong visual appeal. Measures 14.875'' x 21.75''. Light creasing, else near fine condition. Proclamation is cited in Seeley as having been issued as a Christmas gift to White House staff in 1945, and one example remains in the collection of the Truman Library.