The Veterans Affairs secretary has reversed a department memo that aimed to ban VA displays of the iconic “V-J Day in Times Square” photograph of a Navy sailor kissing a strange woman on the streets of New York at the end of World War II.
Secretary Denis McDonough acted swiftly after a copy of a memo from a VA assistant undersecretary requesting the photo’s removal from all VA health facilities was shared on social media. The memo had cited the photo as depicting a non-consensual act and being inconsistent with the department's sexual harassment policy.
McDonough took to Twitter to clarify the situation, posting a copy of the image and stating, “Let me be clear: This image is not banned from VA facilities — and we will keep it in VA facilities.”
Two sources familiar with the memo confirmed its authenticity and revealed that McDonough had not approved it and rescinded it once he became aware of its distribution. They spoke on the condition of anonymity due to lack of authorization to discuss it publicly.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also addressed the issue, stating, “The VA is not going to be banning this photo. I can definitely say that the memo was not sanctioned, and so it's not something that we were even aware of.”
The photograph in question, taken on V-J Day in 1945, captures the spontaneous moment when a Navy sailor kissed a woman in Times Square to celebrate the end of World War II. The image, known as “V-J Day in Times Square” or simply “The Kiss,” has become an iconic symbol of victory and relief.
Greta Friedman, the woman in the photo, clarified in a 2005 interview that the kiss was not romantic but rather a spontaneous expression of joy at the war's end. She emphasized that it was not her choice to be kissed and described the moment as a gesture of celebration.
Friedman passed away in 2016 at the age of 92, while the sailor in the photo, George Mendonsa, died in 2019 at the age of 95.
