A resolution recognizing the importance of the writings of Dashiell Hammett to American literature and culture on the 75th anniversary of the first publication of "The Maltese Falcon".

Mr. President, I rise today to support passage of a resolution I submitted recognizing the importance of the writings of Dashiell Hammett on the 75th anniversary of the first publication of The Maltese Falcon. This novel has had a notable impact on American literature and culture, as well as a profound influence on my hometown of San Francisco--the home of hard-boiled detective stories.

Dashiell Hammett's work exemplifies a unique and original American literary style. Drawing upon his own experiences in detective work and amateur sleuthing, Hammett brought realism and fact into the crime novel: He did not tolerate inaccurate details, and even once wrote a column for the New York Evening Post to note incorrect facts in others' works, to aid would-be writers who were never detectives and would not know the difference between an automatic pistol and a revolver.

The Maltese Falcon, his best-known work, one of the most historically significant crime novels in history, portrayed its protagonist, Private Investigator Sam Spade, in the rough and tumble San Francisco underworld of the 1920s. The novel was the third of the five published Hammett novels. After its 1930 publication as a novel, it also appeared as a comic book and was syndicated in newspaper supplements. It became a giveaway for soldiers serving during World War II. And it has been printed in hundreds of editions in 50 countries and in over 30 languages.

It is not only in print that The Maltese Falcon has soared. Within a year of its initial publication, it had already been adapted for the screen in 1931, followed by a second adaptation in 1936. The final, and most faithful, adaptation is the 1941 film starring Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor by first time director John Huston. The American Film Institute rated this version as one of the top films of the twentieth century and it can be found on the countless other ``Great Films'' listings.

Much of Dashiell Hammett's formative experience that led to his stories was found in San Francisco. In fact, in one of his short stories, ``The Scorched Face,'' some of the action takes place in a house set on the street where I lived as a child. Because of Hammett's works, San Francisco is still the preferred setting for crime noir and detective stories on the page and on the screen.

On February 14 and throughout this year, literary organizations across the

country will be celebrating this important anniversary, including a lecture organized by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and cosponsored by the Mystery Writers of America, by Dr. Richard Layman, a literary scholar and Hammett specialist.

The National Council of Teachers of English, which will hold its annual conference in San Francisco, has invited Hammett's daughter to present a lecture. The Friends of the Library USA will dedicate 891 Post Street, where Hammett lived when he wrote The Maltese Falcon, as a National Literary Landmark, on March 19.

The San Francisco Public Library will also commemorate the anniversary with an exhibition--The Maltese Falcon at 75--of Hammett memorabilia connected with the novel and will have discussions with Hammett's granddaughter. This collection could even become a traveling exhibit.

I hope that my colleagues will join me in commemorating this important anniversary in American literary history.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 51, submitted earlier today by Senator Feinstein.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to the resolution be printed in the Record.