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 occurrence which are clarified at appropriate points; and those abbreviations and contractions which, although uncommon, are understandable from the context.

  • AAA, Agricultural Adjustment Act
  • AAF, Army Air Forces
  • a/c, aircraft
  • ACC, Air Coordinating Committee
  • ACC, Allied Control Council
  • ADA, Atomic Development Authority
  • ADP, Airport Development Program
  • AEC, (United Nations) Atomic Energy Commission
  • AF of L, American Federation of Labor
  • A–H, Office of Assistant Secretary of State for Occupied Areas, John R. Hilldring
  • AMG, Allied Military Government
  • A–P, Office of Assistant Secretary of State for Administration, John E. Peurifoy
  • ARA, Office of American Republic Affairs, Department of State
  • ATC, Air Transport Command
  • A–T, Office of Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, Willard L. Thorp
  • The Bank, The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • BC, Division of British Commonwealth Affairs, Department of State
  • Be, beryllium
  • BOAC, British Overseas Airways Corporation
  • BOT, British Board of Trade
  • Brit Amb, British Ambassador
  • BW, Biological warfare
  • CAB, Civil Aeronautics Board
  • CCA, United Nations Commission for Conventional Armaments
  • CCC, Commodity Credit Corporation
  • CCS, Combined Chiefs of Staff
  • CDT, Combined Development Trust
  • CFM, Council of Foreign Ministers
  • CIRTEL, circular telegram
  • CPC, Combined Policy Committee
  • DA, Division of Dependent Area Affairs, Department of State
  • Del, Delegation
  • Delga, indicator for telegrams from the U.S. Delegation to the second session of the United Nations General Assembly, September–November 1947
  • Depcirtel, Department circular telegram
  • Deptel, Department telegram
  • DRE, Division of Research for Europe, Department of State
  • ECE, Economic Commission for Europe
  • ECEFP, Executive Committee on Economic Foreign Policy
  • ECOSOC, Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
  • EE, Division of Eastern European Affairs, Department of State
  • Embtel, Embassy telegram
  • ERP, European Recovery Program
  • ESC, Executive Secretariat of the Secretary of State’s Staff Committee
  • EUR, Office of European Affairs, Department of State
  • FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization
  • FE, Office of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • FEA, Foreign Economic Administration
  • FLC, Foreign Liquidation Commissioner, Department of State
  • FO, Foreign Office
  • FoMin, Foreign Minister
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • ForOf, Foreign Office
  • FonSec, Foreign Secretary
  • Frito, indicator for telegrams from the United States Delegation to the second session of the Preparatory Committee of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Employment, April 10–August 22, 1947
  • The Fund, The International Monetary Fund
  • GA, General Assembly of the United Nations
  • Gadel, indicator for telegrams to the U.S. Delegation to the second session of the United Nations General Assembly, September–November 1947
  • GSC, General Staff Corps
  • H.J. Res., House Joint Resolution
  • HR, House Resolution
  • IA, Division of Special Inter-American Affairs, Department of State
  • IC, Interim Committee of the United Nations General Assembly
  • ICAO, International Civil Aviation Organization
  • ICEF, International Children’s Emergency Fund
  • ICJ, International Court of Justice
  • ILO, International Labor Organization
  • infotel, information telegram
  • IO, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State
  • IRO, International Refugee Organization
  • IS, Division of International Security Affairs, Department of State
  • ITO, International Trade Organization
  • ITP, Office of International Trade Policy, Department of State
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • JSSC, Joint Strategic Survey Committee of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • Le, Office of the Legal Adviser, Department of State
  • L/T, Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser, Treaty Affairs, Department of State
  • L/UNA, Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser, United Nations Affairs, Department of State
  • Martel, indicator for telegrams from the Secretary of State while at the fifth session of the Council of Foreign Ministers at London, November–December 1947
  • MD, Munitions Division, Department of State
  • mfn, most favored nation
  • MID, Military Intelligence Division, Department of the Army
  • MP, Member of Parliament
  • MPR, Mongolian People’s Republic (Outer Mongolia)
  • MSC, Military Staff Committee of the United Nations Security Council
  • mytel, my telegram
  • NAC, National Advisory Council on International Monetary and Financial Problems
  • NE, Division of Near Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • NEA, Office of Near Eastern and African Affairs, Department of State
  • NEI, Netherlands East Indies
  • NKVD, People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs (Soviet Union)
  • NOE, Division of Northern European Affairs, Department of State
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • OA, Division of International Organization Affairs, Department of State
  • OIR, Office of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
  • ONI, Office of Naval Intelligence
  • PCA, Policy Committee on Arms and Armaments, Department of State
  • PD, Passport Division, Department of State
  • PJBD, Permanent Joint Board on Defense, United States–Canada
  • PPS, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • PSC, Belgian Social Christian Party
  • Pu, plutonium
  • RAC, Executive Committee on the Regulation of Armaments
  • reDeptel, reference Department’s telegram
  • reEmbs, reference Embassy’s telegram
  • reftel, reference telegram
  • reLegtel, reference Legation’s telegram
  • Rep, Representative
  • reurtel, reference your telegram
  • RL, Division of American Republics Analysis and Liaison, Department of State
  • RSC, Records Service Center, Department of State
  • SACMED, Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean
  • SA–M, Office of Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Press Relations, Michael J. McDermott
  • SANACC, State-Army-Navy-Air Force Coordinating Committee
  • SCAP, Supreme Commander, Allied Powers in Japan
  • SC, Security Council
  • SC, Secretary’s Staff Committee, Department of State
  • S.J. Res., Senate Joint Resolution
  • SPA, Office of Special Political Affairs, Department of State
  • S/P, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • S/P.V., (United Nations) Conseil de Sécurité Procés-verbaux Officiels
  • SSR, Soviet Socialist Republic
  • SWNCC, State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee
  • SYG, Secretary-General of the United Nations
  • TAC, Interdepartmental Trade Agreements Committee
  • Telmar, indicator for telegrams to the Secretary of State while at the fifth session of the Council of Foreign Ministers at London, November–December 1957
  • Toito, indicator for telegrams to the United States Delegation to the second session of the Preparatory Committee of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Employment, April 10–August 22, 1947
  • TRC, Office of Transport and Communications Policy, Department of State
  • Trust Co, Trusteeship Council of the United Nations
  • TV A, Tennessee Valley Authority
  • TWA, Trans World Airlines
  • UE, Office of the Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs
  • UKDel, United Kingdom Delegation
  • UNAEC, United Nations Atomic Energy Commission
  • UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
  • UNGA, General Assembly of the United Nations
  • UNLC, United Nations Liaison Committee, Department of State
  • UNRRA, United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
  • UP, United Press
  • urtel, your telegram
  • USA, United States Army
  • USAEC, United States Atomic Energy Commission
  • USDel, United States Delegation
  • USN, United States Navy
  • USUN, United States Mission to the United Nations
  • VD, Visa Division, Department of State
  • VHB, very heavy bomber
  • WDGS, War Department Genera Staff
  • WE, Division of Western European Affairs, Department of State
  • WHO, World Health Organization