Honoring the Victims of the Attack in Paris, France - Historical Half-Staff Archive

Historical — 2015. Not a current half-staff notice. FORTISVEX is an independent publisher, not a government agency. The official proclamation is reproduced separately from our explanatory context.

Honoring the Victims of the Attack in Paris, France: Historical Half-Staff Record

This proclamation combines a statement of solidarity with France and a United States flag directive following the November 13, 2015, attacks in Paris. Obama’s opening paragraph invokes liberty, equality and fraternity and describes the American response in his own words. The second paragraph gives the half-staff instruction. Keeping these two parts together preserves both the commemorative purpose and the practical scope of the document.

Compare dated source records in the FORTISVEX Presidential Half-Staff Archive.

Dates, authority and scope

Issuer
President Barack Obama
Formal issue date and number
Proclamation 9369 of November 15, 2015
Observance interval
Issued November 15, 2015; the directive ends at sunset, November 19, 2015.
Time qualification
No numerical sunset hour, named time zone or separate starting clock time is specified.
Geography and audience
The White House and the listed public buildings, grounds, military posts, naval stations and Federal Government naval vessels in the District of Columbia, United States, Territories and possessions; the same period also applies to the specified United States facilities abroad.
Federal Register publication
November 19, 2015, volume 80, pages 72553; document 2015-29744.

How to read this historical instruction

Paris is the location of the attack honored by the proclamation. The order concerns the flag of the United States at the locations it lists, including specified United States facilities abroad; it is not an order governing France’s flags or every flag flown internationally. The endpoint is sunset on November 19, the same calendar date on which this Federal Register issue was published.

The French words in the published opening paragraph are retained with their accents in the transcription. They are part of the official statement, not an added slogan or a new claim of endorsement by the French or United States governments.

Verify the Federal Register source record. The issue date and observance interval above are historical dates, separate from this article’s website publication date.

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Full official proclamation

Proclamation 9369 of November 15, 2015

Honoring the Victims of the Attack in Paris, France

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

The American people stand with the people of France. Friday’s terror attacks were not just an attack on Paris; they were an attack on all humanity and the universal values we share, including the bonds of liberte ´, e´galite´, and fraternite´. These values will endure far beyond any terrorists or their hateful vision. The United States and our allies do not give in to fear, nor will we be divided, nor will anyone change our way of life. We will do whatever it takes, working with nations and peoples around the world, to bring the perpetrators of these attacks to justice, and to go after terrorists who threaten our people.

As a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on November 13, 2015, in Paris, France, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, November 19, 2015. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.

Further reading and a present-day display

Explore the FORTISVEX History & Reference collection for related reading. If you are choosing a flag for your own display, browse our American flag collection. This historical record is not a direction to lower a flag today; check the applicable current official notice separately.

These full-page images reproduce the official published document. They are not a native PDF viewer. Use the original PDF links to open or download the PDF file; the complete transcription supplies selectable text.

Archive date: The displayed post date represents the proclamation’s verified formal issue date, not the date this website entry was uploaded. The actual publication timestamp is retained separately in the work record. This historical entry is not a current half-staff instruction.

Nov 15th 2015 Sydney S.

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