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 com-
mitment 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 Amer-
ican 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 ex-
ploits as an ace pilot, acted as wing commander and
mentor for then-Lieutenant Eddie Rickenbacker, and was
•HCON 215 EH
awarded the Distinguished Service Cross Medal, for gal-
lantry and bravery in battle, by General Pershing;
Whereas James Norman Hall sought serenity after the de-
structiveness 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 ar-
ticles and books in the library of his home in Arue, Ta-
hiti;
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 epito-
mize 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 re-
mained to his death a humble, self-effacing man who en-
deared 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 sor-
row’’; 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—
•HCON 215 EH
(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 de-
fense 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 con-
current 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:
Clerk.
103D CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 215
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Honoring James Norman Hall and recognizing his
outstanding contributions to the United States
and the South Pacific.