Office of the Historian

List of Abbreviations, Symbols, and Code Names

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–, airgram
  • ACTA, (Interdepartmental) Advisory Committee on Technical Assistance
  • AEC, Atomic Energy Commission
  • Amb, Ambassador
  • AP, Associated Press
  • ARA, Office of American Republic Affairs (after October 3, 1949, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs), Department of State
  • ASYG, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations
  • BC, Division of British Commonwealth Affairs, Department of State
  • BNA, Office of British Commonwealth and Northern European Affairs, Department of State
  • BOAC, British Overseas Airways Corporation
  • BOT, Board of Trade (British)
  • BW, Biological Warfare
  • C, Office of the Counselor, Department of State
  • CCA, United Nations Commission for Conventional Armaments
  • CDA, Combined Development Agency
  • CDT, Combined Development Trust
  • CFM, Council of Foreign Ministers
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • CP, Communist Party
  • CP, Division of Commercial Policy (after October 3, 1949, Commercial Policy Staff), Department of State
  • CPC, Combined Policy Committee
  • CP’s, Contracting Parties
  • Deltel, Delegation telegram
  • DELWU, United States Delegation to the Western Union
  • Depcirtel, Department of State circular telegram
  • Depinst, Department of State instruction
  • Deptel, Department of State telegram
  • E, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • ECA, Economic Cooperation Administration
  • ECC, European Coordinating Committee
  • ECE, Economic Commission for Europe
  • ECEFP, Executive Committee on Economic Foreign Policy
  • ECOSOC, Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
  • EE, Division (after October 3, 1949, Office) of Eastern European Affairs, Department of State
  • Emb, Embassy
  • ERP, European Recovery Program
  • EUR, Office (after October 3, 1949, Bureau) of European Affairs, Department of State
  • Eximbank, Export-Import Bank of Washington
  • FACC, Foreign Assistance Correlation Committee
  • FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization
  • FASC, Foreign Assistance Steering Committee
  • FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice
  • FCN, Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation (treaty)
  • FE, Office (after October 3, 1949, Bureau) of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • FEC, Far Eastern Commission
  • FMACC, Foreign Military Assistance Coordinating Committee
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • FSA, Federal Security Agency
  • FY, fiscal year
  • G, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of State, Department of State
  • GA, General Assembly of the United Nations
  • GARIOA, Government and Relief in Occupied Areas
  • GATT, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
  • GOI, Government of India
  • GSC, General Staff Corps, United States Army
  • High Jump II, proposed United States Navy expedition to Antarctica, 1949–1950
  • IADB, Inter-American Defense Board
  • ICAO, International Civil Aviation Organization
  • ICITO, Interim Commission, International Trade Organization
  • IIAA, Institute of Inter-American Affairs
  • ILC, International Law Commission of the United Nations
  • ILO, International Labor Organization
  • IMF, International Monetary Fund
  • I & NS, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Department of Justice
  • instr, instruction
  • ITO, International Trade Organization
  • ITP, Office of International Trade, Policy, Department of State
  • JCCAE, Joint Congressional Committee on Atomic Energy
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • JIC, Joint Intelligence Committee
  • KLM, Royal Dutch Airlines
  • L, Office of the Legal Adviser, Department of State
  • L/P, Assistant Legal Adviser for Political Affairs in the Office of the Legal Adviser, Department of State
  • Legtel, Legation telegram
  • LOC, line of communication
  • LSD, low separation diffusion
  • MAP, Military Assistance Program
  • MB, Munitions Board
  • MDAP, Mutual Defense Assistance Program
  • MIC, Subcommittee on Military Information Control, State-Army-Navy-Air Force Coordinating Committee
  • MFN, most favored nation
  • MLC, Military Liaison Committee
  • MSC, Military Staff Committee of the United Nations Security Council
  • NAC, National Advisory Council on International Monetary and Financial Problems
  • NAP, North Atlantic Pact
  • NAT, North Atlantic Treaty
  • NEA, Office of Near Eastern and African Affairs (after October 3, 1949, Bureau of Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs), Department of State
  • NEI, Netherlands East Indies
  • NME, National Military Establishment
  • NOE, Division of Northern European Affairs, Department of State
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • NSRB, National Security Resources Board
  • NWC, Division (after October 3, 1949, Office) of North and West Coast Affairs, Department of State
  • OAS, Organization of American States
  • OEEC, Organization for European Economic Cooperation
  • OEX, Office of Educational Exchange, Department of State
  • OFD, Office of Financial and Development Policy, Department of State
  • OIR, Office of Intelligence Research, Department of State
  • OIR/GE, Special Adviser on Geography, Office of Intelligence Research, Department of State
  • OSR, Office of the United States Special Representative in Europe under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1948
  • P, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, Department of State
  • P, series indicator for telegrams from the Commander in Chief of the United States Forces in Austria
  • PA, Office of Public Affairs, Department of State
  • PCA, Policy Committee on Arms and Armaments, Department of State
  • PL, Public Law
  • PPS, designation for documents by the Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • R, Office of the Special Assistant for Intelligence, Department of State
  • RAC, Executive Committee on Regulation of Armaments
  • RAF, Royal Air Force (British)
  • R & DB, Research and Development Board
  • RFC, Reconstruction Finance Corporation
  • RPA, Division of River Plate Affairs, Department of State
  • S, Office of the Secretary of State
  • S/CFA, Coordinator for Foreign Military Assistance Programs, in the Office of the Secretary of State
  • S/MDA, Office of the Mutual Defense Assistance Program, Department of State
  • S/P, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • S/S, Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • SA/M, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State (Press Relations)
  • SANACC, State-Navy-Air Force Coordinating Committee
  • SC, Security Council of the United Nations
  • SCAP, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in Japan
  • SCC, Interdepartmental Committee on Scientific and Cultural Cooperation
  • Super, the thermonuclear weapon; the H-Bomb
  • SWNCC, State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee
  • SYG, Secretary-General
  • TA, trade agreement
  • TAG, Technical Assistance Working Group, Department of State
  • TCA, Technical Cooperation Administration, Department of State
  • tel, telegram
  • TIAS, Treaties and Other International Acts Series
  • Torep, series indicator for messages to the United States Special Representative in Europe under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1948
  • TRC, Office of Transport and Communications (after October 3, 1949, Office of Transport and Communications Policy), Department of State
  • U, Office of the Under Secretary of State
  • UM, designation for documentation circulated in the Under Secretary of State’s Meetings
  • UMT, Universal Military Training
  • UN, United Nations
  • UNA, Office (after October 3, 1949, Bureau) of United Nations Affairs, Department of State
  • UNAEC, United Nations Atomic Energy Commission
  • UNRRA, United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
  • UNS, Division of International Security Affairs, Department of State
  • urtel, your telegram
  • USA, United States Army
  • USAEC, United States Atomic Energy Commission
  • USAF, United States Air Force
  • USDel, United States Delegation
  • USJCS, United States Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • USN, United States Navy
  • USPolAd, United States Political Adviser
  • UST, United States Treaties and Other International Agreements
  • USUN, United States Mission at the United Nations; also Usun, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Mission
  • WHO, World Health Organization
  • WP, Working Party