[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 215 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.Con.Res.215
                                       Agreed to August 23, 1994        

                       One Hundred Third Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
 the twenty-fifth day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-
                                  four


                          Concurrent Resolution

Whereas James Norman Hall, a native son of the State of Iowa born in 
  Colfax in 1887, and a graduate of Grinnell College, was a decorated 
  war hero, noted adventurer, and acclaimed author, who was revered and 
  loved in France and Tahiti, and throughout the South Pacific;
Whereas James Norman Hall exhibited an unwavering commitment to freedom 
  and democracy by volunteering for military service early in World War 
  I and by fighting alongside British forces in the worst of trench 
  warfare, including the Battle of Loos, where he was one of few 
  survivors;
Whereas James Norman Hall continued his fight for liberty by becoming a 
  pilot in the Lafayette Escadrille, an American pursuit squadron of 
  the French Air Service, and his courageous and daring feats in air 
  battles earned him France's highest medals, including the Legion 
  d'Honneur, Medaille Militaire, and Croix de Guerre with 5 Palms;
Whereas James Norman Hall was commissioned as a Captain in the United 
  States Army Air Service when the United States entered World War I, 
  continued his legendary exploits as an ace pilot, acted as wing 
  commander and mentor for then-Lieutenant Eddie Rickenbacker, and was 
  awarded the Distinguished Service Cross Medal, for gallantry and 
  bravery in battle, by General Pershing;
Whereas James Norman Hall sought serenity after the destructiveness of 
  World War I, moved to the South Pacific in 1920, married a Tahitian 
  woman and lived in Tahiti for over 3 decades, and wrote a prodigious 
  number of articles and books in the library of his home in Arue, 
  Tahiti;
Whereas much of James Norman Hall's writing enriched the world's 
  understanding of Tahiti and the South Pacific;
Whereas James Norman Hall coauthored, with Charles Nordhoff, classic 
  masterpieces that have come to epitomize the tropics, including 
  ``Mutiny on the Bounty'', ``Pitcairn's Island'', and ``Hurricane'';
Whereas, despite James Norman Hall's achievements as a decorated war 
  hero and famed literary figure, he remained to his death a humble, 
  self-effacing man who endeared himself to the people of Tahiti with 
  his keen sense of generosity, kindness, and real concern for others, 
  prompting James Michener to state that James Norman Hall was ``the 
  most loved American who ever came to the tropics'' and that when ``he 
  died, on every island in the Pacific where even no man could read, 
  there was sorrow''; and
Whereas the home and library of James Norman Hall, in Arue, Tahiti, are 
  being restored as a museum to honor this son of the State of Iowa and 
  hero of the United States, England, France, and French Polynesia: 
  Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress--
        (1) honors James Norman Hall and recognizes his outstanding 
    contributions to the United States, France, Tahiti, and the South 
    Pacific, including his extraordinary service rendered in wartime 
    for the defense of freedom, his outstanding achievements in the 
    literary field, and his lifework that has enriched the world's 
    understanding of the people of the South Pacific; and
        (2) requests the President of the United States to provide for 
    the presentation of a copy of this concurrent resolution by 
    appropriate officials of the United States Government to the 
    President of Tahiti Nui (French Polynesia), so that it may be 
    publicly displayed at the James Norman Hall Museum in Tahiti, where 
    it will express the appreciation of the people and Government of 
    the United States for the contributions of James Norman Hall and 
    will show recognition of the achievements of this great son of the 
    State of Iowa.
Attest:







                                 Clerk of the House of Representatives.

Attest:







                                               Secretary of the Senate.