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.

  • A–A, Assistant Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Armour)
  • AA, anti-aircraft
  • AAUN, American Association for the United Nations
  • AGP, Arab Government of Palestine (at Gaza)
  • AHC, Arab Higher Committee
  • AHE, Arab Higher (Committee) Executive
  • AIOC, Anglo-Iranian Oil Company
  • AIT, Anglo-Iraqi Treaty (1948)
  • AL, Arab League
  • AL, Arab Legion (Transjordan)
  • Amcross, American Red Cross
  • AmExp, American Export Lines
  • Aminco, American Independent Oil Company
  • AMMIA, American Military Mission with the Iranian Army
  • AMVat, series indicator for telegrams from the American Mission at the Vatican
  • AP, Associated Press
  • Aramco, Arabian American Oil Company
  • ARMISH, American Military Mission with the Iranian Army
  • ATC, Air Transport Command
  • BC, Division of British Commonwealth Affairs, Department of State
  • Black, series indicator for certain telegrams sent by the White House to the Department of State
  • Blue, series indicator for certain telegrams sent by the White House to the Department of State
  • BMEO, British Middle East Office
  • CAA, Civil Aeronautics Administration
  • CAB, Civil Aeronautics Board
  • CC, Conciliation Commission (for Palestine)
  • CEEC, Committee for European Economic Cooperation
  • CFP, Compagnie Française des Pétroles
  • CG, Consulate General
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • CICR, International Committee of the Red Cross
  • CINC, Commander in Chief
  • cirtel, circular telegram
  • CNO, Chief of Naval Operations
  • CO, Commanding Officer
  • Comkas, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Representative on the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan
  • COMMIN, Indian delegation to the United Nations Commission on India and Pakistan
  • Contel, Consulate telegram
  • CP, Division of Commercial Policy, Department of State
  • CPS, Communist parties
  • CRL, Consolidated Refineries, Ltd.
  • CRO, Commonwealth Relations Office (British)
  • CRYPTO, military message indicator
  • CSGID, Ground Intelligence Division, General Staff, Office of the Chief of Staff, United States Army
  • DA, Division of Dependent Area Affairs, Department of State
  • Del, Delegation, Delegate
  • Delga, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
  • Depcirtel, Department of State circular telegram
  • Depintel, Department of State circular information telegram
  • Deptel, Department of State telegram
  • Deptreftel, Department of State reference telegram
  • dipcorps, diplomatic corps
  • DP, displaced person
  • DRN, Division of Research for Near East and Africa, Department of State
  • E, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs
  • EAD, External Affairs Department (India)
  • ECA, Economic Cooperation Administration
  • ECME, Economic Commission for the Middle East (United Nations)
  • ECOSOC, Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
  • ED, Division of Investment and Economic Development, Department of State
  • Emdesp, Embassy despatch
  • Embtel, Embassy telegram
  • ERP, European Recovery Program
  • EUCOM, European Command, United States Army
  • EUR, Office of European Affairs, Department of State
  • FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization
  • FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice
  • FLC, Foreign Liquidation Commissioner, Department of State
  • FN, Division of Financial Affairs, Department of State
  • FO, Foreign Office
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • FoSec, Foreign Secretary
  • FSO, Foreign Service Officer
  • GA, General Assembly of the United Nations
  • GADel, General Assembly Delegation (United States); also Gadel, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
  • GATT, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
  • GAUN, General Assembly of the United Nations
  • GMT, Greenwich Mean Time
  • GOC, General Officer Commanding
  • GOI, Government of India
  • GOP, Government of Pakistan
  • GTI, Division of Greek, Turkish, and Iranian Affairs, Department of State
  • HE, His Excellency
  • HMG, His Majesty’s Government
  • HQ, Headquarters
  • HRH, His Royal Highness
  • HSO, Highest staff officer
  • Hydel, Hyderabad delegation
  • IC, Interim Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations
  • ICEF, International Children’s Emergency Fund
  • ICJ, International Court of Justice
  • ICRC, International Committee of the Red Cross
  • INA, Indian Army
  • INDel, Indian Delegation
  • infotel, information telegram
  • IO, Reference and Documents Section, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State
  • IPC, Iraq Petroleum Company, Ltd.
  • IR, International Resources Division, Department of State
  • IRC, International Red Cross
  • IRO, International Refugee Organization
  • IS, Division of International Security Affairs, Department of State
  • ITO, International Trade Organization
  • IZL, Irgun Zvai Leumi
  • JA, Jewish Agency for Palestine
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • JTA, Jewish Telegraphic Agency
  • Kascom, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Representative on the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan
  • L (Le), Office of the Legal Adviser, Department of State
  • L/P (Le/P), Assistant Legal Adviser for Political Affairs (Snow), Department of State
  • MA, Military Attaché; also series indicator for telegrams from Military Attachés to the War Department
  • Martel, series indicator for telegrams from Secretary of State Marshall while away from Washington
  • MD, Munitions Division, Department of State
  • ME, Middle East
  • Mistel, Mission telegram
  • mytel, my telegram
  • NE, Division of Near Eastern Affairs, Department of State; also Near Eastern or Near East
  • NEA, Office of Near Eastern and African Affairs, Department of State
  • NEDC, Near East Development Corporation
  • niact, night action, communications indicator requiring attention by the recipient at any hour of the day or night
  • NME, National Military Establishment
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • NWFP, North-West Frontier Province
  • OFD, Office of Financial and Development Policy, Department of State
  • OIE, Office of Information and Educational Exchange, Department of State
  • OIR/GE, Special Adviser on Geography in the Office of Intelligence Research, Department of State
  • PA, Plebiscite Administrator (Kashmir boundary question)
  • PAK, Pakistan
  • PCG, Provisional Councils of Government (Palestine)
  • PCIRO, Preparatory Commission for the International Refugee Organization
  • PD, Passport Division, Department of State
  • PED, Petroleum Division, Department of State
  • PG, Persian Gulf
  • PGI, Provisional Government of Israel
  • PM, Prime Minister
  • PPS, designation for documents by the Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • PriMin, Prime Minister
  • RAF, Royal Air Force (British)
  • RC, Red Cross
  • reDeptel, regarding Department of State telegram
  • reEmbtel, regarding Embassy telegram
  • reftel, reference telegram
  • remytel, regarding my telegram
  • reurtel, regarding your telegram
  • RIAF, Royal Indian Air Force
  • RSFSR, Russian Socialist Federated Soviet Republic
  • S/, designation for documents issued by the Security Council
  • S/P, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • S/P.V., Plenary verbatim records of the Security Council
  • S/S, Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • SAG, Saudi Arabian Government
  • SC, Security Council of the United Nations
  • SCTC, United Nations Security Council Truce Commission
  • SD, Shipping Division, Department of State
  • Sec. Gen., Secretary-General
  • SGUN, Secretary-General of the United Nations
  • SOA, Division of South Asian Affairs, Department of State
  • Socony, Standard Oil Company of New York
  • SPA, Office of Special Political Affairs, Department of State
  • SWNCC, State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee
  • SYG, Secretary-General
  • Tapline, Trans-Arabian Pipeline Company
  • TC, United Nations Security Council Truce Commission
  • TC, Trusteeship Council of the United Nations
  • Telmar, series indicator for telegrams to Secretary of State Marshall while away from Washington
  • TJ, Transjordan
  • TS, Top Secret
  • TVA, Tennessee Valley Authority
  • U, Under Secretary of State (Lovett)
  • UKDel, United Kingdom Delegation
  • UKUN, United Kingdom Delegation at the United Nations
  • UNA, Office of United Nations Affairs, Department of State
  • UNCIP, United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan
  • UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
  • UNGA, United Nations General Assembly
  • UNICEF, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund
  • UNMis, United States Mission at the United Nations
  • UNO, United Nations Organization
  • UNS, Division of International Security Affairs, Department of State
  • UNSC, United Nations Security Council
  • UNSCOB, United Nations Special Committee on the Balkans
  • UNSCOP, United Nations Special Committee on Palestine
  • UNTC, United Nations Security Truce Commission
  • UP, United Press
  • urdes, your despatch
  • urtel, your telegram
  • USAF, United States Air Force
  • USDel, United States Delegation
  • USG, United States Government
  • USGADel, United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
  • USIE, United States Information and Educational Exchange Program
  • USMC, United States Marine Corps
  • USUN, United States Mission at the United Nations
  • WARX, series indicator for telegrams sent overseas by the Department of the Army or by Army Headquarters, Washington
  • Weeka, weekly, inter-agency, summary analysis from United States diplomatic missions
  • White, series indicator for certain telegrams sent by the Department of State to the White House
  • WHO, World Health Organization