Lieutenant commander in U.S. Navy and member of Admiral Halsey's staff, John F. Marshall writes from the scene of the Japanese surrender aboard the U.S.S. Missouri on September 2, 1945, at the end of World War II. He describes the surrender ceremony in detail, particularly his impressions of U.S. military leaders and representatives of other nations participating in the ceremony. The letter was written to Floyd McElroy, a friend and former colleague. Also included in the collection is a letter dated October 4, 1945. from McElroy in which he sends a photostatic copy of Marshall's original letter to Ernest M. Bernstein. It is this copy of Marshall's letter that is in the collection.