What is the eagle holding in its left talon on the Great Seal of the United States?

The Great Seal of the United States is used to authenticate certain documents issued by the federal government of the United States. The phrase is used both for the physical seal itself, which is kept by the United States Secretary of State, and more generally for the design impressed upon it. The Great Seal was first used in 1782.

The escutcheon (shield) bears resemblance to the American flag, with two exceptions in particular:

1. The blue chief contains no stars (although certain derivative arms do, e.g. the chief of the arms of the United States Senate).

2. The outermost stripes are white, not red, to avoid violation of the rule of tincture, as the chief is blue.

The supporter of the shield is a bald eagle with its wings outstretched (or "displayed", in heraldic terms). From the eagle's perspective, it holds a bundle of 13 arrows in its left talon (referring to the 13 original states), and an olive branch in its right talon, together symbolizing that the United States has "a strong desire for peace, but will always be ready for war."