First Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence (NRF) experiments were performed at the storage ring FEL‐driven High Intensity &ggr;‐ray Source (HI&ggr;S) at the DFELL. Sharp NRF &ggr;‐lines were observed from11B,32S,88Sr, and138Ba nuclei. Azimuthal NRF intensity ratios were measured around the polarized HI&ggr;S beam. Electric character was thereby deduced for 18 dipole excitations in138Ba in the energy range between 5.5 and 6.5 MeV [1] and for two dipole excitations in88Sr at 4.742 MeV and 7.535 MeV excitation energy [2]. These initial experiments demonstrate the superior performance of the HI&ggr;S facility in making such measurements [3]. © 2003 American Institute of Physics