Lest we forget

In remembrance of the attack to Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, I’m attaching President Roosevelt’s War Message to Congress, as taken by Charles Zoubek over the radio in the office of the Gregg Publishing Company in New York.

If you want to practice writing this speech, I have made a practice sheet with the text on the left side and a shorthand-spaced column on the right.

If you want to hear it yourself, take the dictation, and compare it with Zoubek’s take, click the YouTube video below for FDR’s speech:

Churchill’s address to Parliament that followed is longer, and can be heard here:

War with Japan


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11 comments Add yours
  1. It is so nice to have this specimen of real-time shorthand writing of such an important date in American history.  Likewise, Churchill's speech is really an interesting piece.  While both speeches have some words that can pose a writing problem, the pace is relatively slow in both of them.  If you want to hear it yourself, take the dictation, and compare it with Zoubek's take, click below for FDR's speech:   http://www.umkc.edu/lib/spec-col/ww2/PearlHarbor/rams/DOI.ram   Churchill's address that followed is longer, and can be found in its entirety here:   http://www.earthstation1.com/Churchillia/wc411208.wav   Enjoy!

  2. As you said, it is so very interesting to see actual dictation. Looking at the whole it is so neat (I wonder what pen he used) and fine. But you can see how the angles get curved at speed; and the sizes (f-s, v-f) become less distinct; and the straight stokes become a little curved (j-b). I don’t think I had seen example of Zoubeck’s writing before (Du Praw and Schwem, yes). I wonder how many of the abbreviations he used were standard, or just for him, or reduced for speed (e.g. against, conversation).
    I went through it before looking at your practice (or as I used it “crib”) sheet but only got under 95% of the words (excluding names).
    If I go on to transcribe your practice sheet it will end up very unlike Zoubeck’s!

    1. Some of what Mr. Zoubek used are reporting shortcuts. I would say that a majority of the Anniversary books published in the 40s had plates written by him. For example, he authored the plates in all the Anniversary Gregg Speed Building books, except the first edition that had Mrs. Richmond’s beautifully written plates.

          1. Ebay and Advanced Book Exchange are also possible sources if someone is looking for a print copy. (There are copies of both the Richmond and Zoubek editions currently listed).

            Gregg shorthand books in “good to very good” condition are becoming scarcer as time goes on, but they’re still around.

            Unfortunately for anyone outside the US international postage can be prohibitive.

            Lee

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