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
H. Con. Res. 215—2

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.