The forgotten man who told the truth about the end of World War II

Eighty years ago this week, the world changed — but the truth about it was nearly buried.

May 8 marked Victory in Europe Day, or VE Day — the formal end of World War II on the European front. But the war actually ended a day earlier. On May 7, 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender. Peace had come to Europe. The guns fell silent. But hardly anyone knew it — because Stalin didn’t like the terms.

For a brief moment on May 7, we had peace — real peace. And one man had the courage to say so.

The Soviets hadn’t been present at the signing, and Stalin insisted on a second ceremony, one in which his representatives could take part. That would come a day later. Until then, everyone was ordered to stay silent — including the press.

Edward L. Kennedy, an Associated Press reporter few Americans remember, stood in the room when the Germans signed the treaty ending World War II. He witnessed history and immediately called his editors in New York: “It’s over. Peace is here.” The story hit the wires before he even hung up.

Then the U.S. government intervened. Officials cut the line and ordered him to hold the story. The reason? Stalin wasn’t ready. The message was clear: Suppress the truth for Soviet theater.

Kennedy pushed back. AP policy allowed withholding news only when lives were at risk — and this wasn’t that. The war had ended. The killing had stopped. But politics overruled principle. U.S. censors suppressed his initial dispatch.

Kennedy refused to stay silent. After warning his AP colleagues in the States, he contacted the AP office in London. The story broke anyway and spread around the world.

But retribution was swift. Kennedy was immediately fired, stripped of his credentials, and labeled a traitor. This once-renowned war correspondent was blackballed, pushed to the margins of journalism. His story was erased, his name forgotten — all because he told the truth 24 hours too early.

Years later, the Associated Press admitted it was wrong. The AP acknowledged Kennedy’s integrity. But by then, he was dead — killed in a car crash in 1963. He never lived to see his name restored.

A small town in California eventually erected a statue in his honor. The inscription reads simply: “The man who gave the world 24 hours of peace.”

A timely lesson

Truth-tellers get smeared as traitors. Dissenters are exiled. And one day — whether in seven years or 30 — the same people doing the canceling and condemning will quietly say: “We were wrong. That was a troubled time. We didn’t know what we were doing.”

Then, just like they did with that brave reporter, they’ll try to rewrite the record, once the consequences no longer fall on them.

VE Day matters because it marks the defeat of one totalitarian regime — and the dawn of another. We toppled fascism only to step straight into a Cold War with communism.

But for a fleeting moment on May 7, the world had peace. And one man dared to tell the truth.

It’s also why Donald Trump is right: America should call this Victory Day. Europe already does. Europeans still thank us every year. But we, in the land that made victory possible, have largely forgotten.

We shouldn’t. Because the fight against tyranny never really ends. Whether it’s fascism in the 1940s or the ideological authoritarianism of today, we are always one generation away from losing our freedom.

Take up the torch

We live in a time when cities proudly fly new ideological flags every week, when illegal gang members are shielded from deportation under the guise of “equity,” and when the truth is sacrificed at the altar of political power.

But take heart: The truth always prevails.

Eventually, the pendulum swings. Eventually, sanity returns. And when it does, the people who stood for what’s right — no matter the cost — will be vindicated.

Edward Kennedy didn’t tell the world about peace to become a hero. He didn’t do it for the statue. He did it because it was right. That’s why we do what we do — why we speak out, why we keep telling the truth. We must, for our children, our families, and our future.

So this week, as we celebrate VE Day, remember the victory. Remember the cost. And remember the man who gave the world 24 hours of peace.

Because someday, they’ll try to rewrite the story again, and it’s our job to make sure they don’t.

Want more from Glenn Beck? Get Glenn's FREE email newsletter with his latest insights, top stories, show prep, and more delivered to your inbox.