Office of the Historian

List of Abbreviations and Symbols

Editor’s Note—This list does not include standard abbreviations in common usage; unusual abbreviations of rare occurance which are clarified at appropriate points; and those abbreviations and contractions which, although uncommon, are understandable from the context.

  • A, airgram
  • ABC, Argentina, Brazil, Chile
  • AD, Acción Democrática (Democratic Action), a Venezuelan political party
  • AEC, Atomic Energy Commission
  • AFE, Administración de Ferrocarriles del Estado (State Railways Administration), Uruguay
  • AFL, American Federation of Labor
  • AFP (A&FP), American and Foreign Power Company
  • ANAC, Asamblea Nacional Constituyente (National Constitutent Assembly), Colombia
  • AR, Office of Regional American Affairs, Department of State
  • ARA, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Department of State
  • ARA/P, Public Affairs Adviser, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs
  • ASW, anti-submarine warfare
  • ATLAS, Asociación de Trabajadores de America Latina (Association of Latin American Workers)
  • AT.&T., American Telephone & Telegraph Company
  • BAEC, Buenos Aires Economic Conference
  • CA, Central America; circular airgram
  • CAB, Civil Aeronautics Board
  • CADE, Compañía Argentina de Electricidad (Argentine Electric Company)
  • CAP, Compañía de Acero del Pacifico (Pacific Steel Company), Chile
  • CCC, Commodity Credit Corporation, Department of Agriculture
  • CCT, Confederación Costarricense de Trabajadores (Costa Rican Confederation of Workers)
  • CEP, Chile, Ecuador, Peru
  • CFEP, Council on Foreign Economic Policy
  • CG, Consultative Group
  • CGT, Confederación General del Trabajo (General Confederation of Labor)
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • CIC, Commission of Investigation and Conciliation, Organization of American States
  • CINCARIB, Commander in Chief, Caribbean
  • CIO, Congress of Industrial Organizations
  • cirtel, circular telegram
  • CMA, Compañía Mexicana de Aviación, S.A. (Mexican Aviation Company)
  • COAS, Council of the Organization of American States
  • COB, Central Obrera Boliviana (Bolivian Labor Central)
  • COCOM, Coordinating Committee of the Paris Consultative Group of nations working to control export of strategic goods to Communist countries
  • COMIBOL (CMB), Corporación Minera de Bolivia (Bolivian Mining Corporation)
  • CORFO, Corporación de Fomento de la Producción (Production Development Corporation), Chile
  • CPR, Committee of Presidential Representatives (of the Organization of American States)
  • CRS, Christian Relief Service
  • CSG, Consejo Sindical de Guatemala (Trade Union of Guatemala)
  • CTAL, Confederación de Trabajadores de America Latina (Confederation of Latin American Workers)
  • CTC, Confederación de Trabajadores de Cuba (Confederation of Cuban Workers)
  • CTM, Confederación de Trabajadores Mexicanos (Confederation of Mexican Workers)
  • CUTCH, Central Unica de Trabajadores de Chile (Central Workers Union of Chile)
  • D, member of the Democratic Party in the United States
  • DD/M, Office of the Deputy Director for Management, International Cooperation Administration
  • DD/O, Office of the Deputy Director for Operations, International Cooperation Administration
  • DD/P, Office of the Deputy Director for Programs and Planning, International Cooperation Administration
  • DD/S, Office of the Deputy Director for Technical Services, International Cooperation Administration
  • Del, delegate, delegation
  • Depcirtel, Department of State circular telegram
  • Deptel, Department of State telegram
  • DLF, Development Loan Fund (United Nations)
  • E, Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs; Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs
  • EA, Interdepartmental Committee on Economic Affairs
  • ECLA, Economic Commission for Latin America, United Nations
  • ECOAS, series indicator for telegrams to the U.S. Delegation, Economic Conference of the Organization of American States
  • ED, Investment and Development Staff, Office of Financial and Development Policy, Department of State
  • EDAC, Economic Defense Advisory Committee
  • Emb, Embassy
  • Embtel, Embassy telegram
  • ENAP, Empresa Nacional del Petróleo (National Petroleum Enterprise), Chile
  • EXIM Bank (Eximbank), Export-Import Bank of Washington
  • FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • FCN, Friendship, Commerce and Navigation (treaties)
  • FinMin, Finance Minister
  • FOA, Foreign Operations Administration
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • FRC, Federal Records Center
  • FSB, Falange Socialista Boliviana (Bolivian Socialist Falange)
  • FY, fiscal year
  • FYI, for your information
  • G, Deputy Under Secretary of State; Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of State
  • GATT, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
  • GMP, General Military Plan (for the defense of the American Continent)
  • GNP, gross national product
  • GOB, Government of Bolivia; Government of Brazil
  • GOC, Government of Chile, Government of Cuba
  • GOP, Government of Paraguay
  • GSA, General Services Administration
  • GUEST, Guest Aeróvias Mexico, Mexican National Airlines
  • H, Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations; Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations
  • HEW, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
  • H.R., designation for legislation introduced in the House of Representatives
  • IAC, Intelligence Advisory Committee
  • IADB, Inter-American Defense Board
  • IA-ECOSOC, Inter-American Economic and Social Council
  • IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency
  • IAGS, Inter-American Geodetic Survey
  • IAH, Inter-American Highway
  • IBRD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • ICA, International Cooperation Administration
  • ICBM, Intercontinential Ballistic Missile
  • IC/DV, Import Certificate-Delivery Verification
  • ICFTU, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
  • ICJ, International Court of Justice
  • IFC, International Finance Corporation
  • IIAA, Institute of Inter-American Affairs
  • IL, International List (of embargoed goods)
  • ILO, International Labor Organization
  • IMF, International Monetary Fund
  • INFOP, Instituto de Fomento de la Producción (Production Development Institute)
  • INR, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
  • IRBM, Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile
  • IRCA, International Railways of Central America
  • IRD, International Resources Division, Bureau of Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • ISA, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs; Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
  • JBUSMC, Joint Brazil-United States Military Commission
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • L/ARA, Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for Inter-American Affairs; the Assistant Legal Adviser for Inter-American Affairs
  • LA, Latin America
  • LACSA, Líneas Aéreas Costarricenses (Costa Rican Airlines)
  • LORAN, Long Range Navigational Aid
  • LPG, Legislative Program Group, Department of State
  • MAAG, Military Assistance Advisory Group
  • MAP, Military Assistance Program
  • MC, Memorandum of Conversation
  • MDA, Mutual Defense Assistance
  • MDAC, Mutual Defense Assistance Control
  • MDAP, Mutual Defense Assistance Program
  • MDN, Movimiento Democrática Nacionalista (National Democratic Movement), a Guatemalan political party
  • MEN, most favored nation
  • MID, Office of Middle American Affairs, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Department of State
  • mil, military
  • MinFin, Minister of Finance
  • MINMET, Minerales y Metales, S.A. (Minerals and Metals, Inc.), an Argentine mining company
  • MNR, Movimiento Nacionalista Revolutionary (Nationalist Revolutionary Movement), a Bolivian political party
  • MSA, Mutual Security Agency; Mutual Security Act
  • mytel, my telegram
  • MSP, Mutual Security Program
  • NAC, National Advisory Council
  • NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • NCG, National Council of Government
  • niact, night action, communication indicator requiring attention by the recipient at any hour of the day or night
  • NIE, National Intelligence Estimate
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • OAS, Organization of American States
  • OCB, Operations Coordinating Board
  • ODECA, Organización de Estados Centroamericanos (Organization of Central American States)
  • ODM, Office of Defense Mobilization
  • ODVA, Organisme de Développement de la Valle de l’Artibonite Haiti (Artibonite Valley Development Agency of Haiti)
  • OFD, Office of Financial and Development Policy, Bureau of Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • OILA, Office of International Labor Affairs, Department of Labor
  • OISP, Overseas International Security Program
  • OR, Office of International Resources, Bureau of Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • ORIT, Organización Regional Interamericana de Trabajadores (Inter-American Regional Organization of Workers)
  • OSA, Office of South American Affairs, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Department of State
  • OT, Office of International Trade, Bureau of Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • PC, participating country
  • PCB, Partido Comunista do Brasil (Brazilian Communist Party)
  • PEMEX, Petróleos Mexicanos, S.A. (Mexican Petroleum, Inc.)
  • PGT, Partido Guatemalteco de Trabajadores (Guatemalan Labor Party)
  • PL, Public Law
  • POL, petroleum, oil, and lubricants
  • PR, Partido Revolutionary de Guatemala (Guatemalan Revolutionary Party)
  • PRI, Partido Revolucionario Institutional (Institutional Revolutionary Party), Mexican political party
  • PRP, Partido de Representacao Popular (Popular Representative Party), Brazilian political party
  • PSD, Partido Social Democratico (Social Democratic Party), Brazilian political party
  • PTB, Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro (Brazilian Labor Party)
  • PURS, Partido Unión Republicana Socialista (Socialist Republican Union Party), Bolivian political party
  • R, Special Assistant for Intelligence, Department of State; Office of the Special Assistant for Intelligence, Department of State; member of the Republican Party in the United States
  • REA, Office of Inter-American Regional Economic Affairs, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Department of State
  • reftel, reference telegram
  • Rerum Novarum, a confederation of Costa Rican labor unions
  • RPA, Office of Inter-American Regional Political Affairs, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Department of State
  • S/AE, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Atomic Energy Matters
  • S/MSA, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Mutual Security Affairs
  • S/P, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • S/S, Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • SCISP, Servicio Cooperativo Interamericano de Salud Pública (Inter-American Cooperative Public Health Service)
  • SEATO, Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
  • Secto, series indicator for telegrams to the Department of State from the Secretary of State (or his delegation) at international conferences
  • SENDAS, Secretariado Nacional de Asistencia Social (National Secretariat of Social Assistance), Colombia
  • SHADA, Socíeté Haitiano-Americaine de Développement Agricole (Haitian-American Society for Agricultural Cooperation)
  • SN, Seguridad Nacional (National Security), Venezuelan internal security agency
  • SNIE, Special National Intelligence Estimate
  • SOAEC, series indicator for telegrams from the U.S. Delegation, Economic Conference of the Organization of American States
  • SOMISA, Sociedad Mixta Siderúrgica Argentina (Mixed Steel Company of Argentina)
  • TAC, Transit Authorization Certificate
  • Tosec, series indicator for telegrams from the Department of State to the Secretary of State (or his delegation) at international conferences
  • TRC, Office of Transport and Communications, Bureau of Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • U, Office of the Under Secretary of State
  • UDN, União Democrática Nacional (National Democratic Union), Brazilian polilical party
  • U/FW, Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Fisheries and Wildlife
  • U/MSA, Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Mutual Security Affairs
  • UNEF, United Nations Emergency Force
  • UNICEF, United Nations Children’s Fund
  • UNTAA, United Nations Technical Assistance Administration
  • USA, United States Army
  • USAF, United States Air Force
  • USDel, United States Delegation
  • USIA, United States Information Agency
  • USIS, United States Information Service
  • USMC, United States Marine Corps
  • USN, United States Navy
  • USOM, United States Operations Mission
  • UTE, Administración General de las Usinas Electricas y los Telefonos del Estado (General Administration of State Electric Power and Telephone Services), Uruguay
  • W, Deputy Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs; Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs
  • XMB, Export-Import Bank of Washington
  • YPF, Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales (National Petroleum Company)
  • YPFB, Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (Bolivian National Petroleum Corporation)