[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 215 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 215

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                June 21 (legislative day, June 7), 1994

      Received and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
      Honoring James Norman Hall and recognizing his outstanding 
       contributions to the United States and the South Pacific.

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.

            Passed the House of Representatives June 17, 1994.

            Attest:

                                           DONNALD K. ANDERSON,

                                                                 Clerk.