103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 215

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
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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

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That the Congress—
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1 (1) honors James Norman Hall and recognizes

2 his outstanding contributions to the United States,

3 France, Tahiti, and the South Pacific, including his

4 extraordinary service rendered in wartime for the de5 fense of freedom, his outstanding achievements in

6 the literary field, and his lifework that has enriched

7 the world’s understanding of the people of the South

8 Pacific; and

9 (2) requests the President of the United States

10 to provide for the presentation of a copy of this con11 current resolution by appropriate officials of the

12 United States Government to the President of Tahiti

13 Nui (French Polynesia), so that it may be publicly

14 displayed at the James Norman Hall Museum in

15 Tahiti, where it will express the appreciation of the

16 people and government of the United States for the

17 contributions of James Norman Hall and will show

18 recognition of the achievements of this great son of

19 the State of Iowa.

Passed the House of Representatives June 17, 1994.

Attest:

Clerk.
103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 215

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Honoring James Norman Hall and recognizing his

and the South Pacific.outstanding contributions to the United States