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, Office of the Assistant (after October 3, 1949, Deputy Under) Secretary of State for Administration
  • AC, Allied Council for Austria
  • ACLI, Associazione Cristiana Lavoratori Italiani (Italian Workers Christian Association)
  • Actel, series indicator for telegrams from Secretary of State Acheson while away from Washington
  • AF, Division of African Affairs, Department of State
  • AFL, American Federation of Labor
  • AID, Agency for International Development
  • AMG, Allied Military Government
  • ANE, Office of African and Near Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • AP, Associated Press
  • AP, Atlantic Pact (an informal reference to the North Atlantic Treaty)
  • ARA, Office of American Republics Affairs (after October 3, 1949, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs), Department of State
  • BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation
  • BC, Division of British Commonwealth Affairs, Department of State
  • Benelux, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg
  • Bizone, the combined British and American zones of Germany
  • BNA, Office of British Commonwealth and Northern European Affairs, Department of State
  • BOT, Board of Trade (British)
  • C, Counselor of the Department of State
  • CAD, Civil Affairs Division, General Staff, United States Army
  • CC, Consultative Council (of Foreign Ministers of Brussels Pact)
  • CD, Christian Democratic Party (Italy)
  • CFM, Council of Foreign Ministers (sometimes also used to refer to other meetings of Foreign Ministers)
  • CFTC, Confédération Française des Travailleurs Chrétiens (French Confederation of Christian Workers)
  • CG, Consul General
  • CGC, Confédération Générale des Cadres, French union of supervisory and technical workers
  • CGIL, Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro (General Confederation of Labor in Italy)
  • CGT, Confédération Générale du Travail (General Confederation of Labor), in France
  • CGT–FO, see FO
  • CIC, Comité Interior de Coordinación, Spanish political group
  • CINCNELM, Commander in Chief, United States Naval Forces, Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean
  • CIO, Congress of Industrial Organizations
  • circtel, circular telegram
  • CNT, Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (National Confederation of Labor), in Spain
  • CP, Communist Party
  • CSGPO, Plans and Operations Division, General Staff, Office of the Chief of Staff, United States Army
  • CTC, see CFTC
  • DC, series indicator for documents of the North Atlantic Defense Committee
  • Del, Delegate; Delegation
  • Delga, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
  • DelWU, United States Delegation to the Western Union
  • Depcirtel, Department of State circular telegram
  • Deptel, Department of State telegram
  • D.O.T., dependent overseas territory
  • E, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs
  • ECA, Economic Cooperation Administration
  • ECA/W, headquarters of the Economic Cooperation Administration in Washington
  • Ecato, series indicator for telegrams from the Economic Cooperation Administration in Washington to its missions abroad
  • ECC, European Coordinating Committee
  • ECE, Economic Commission for Europe
  • ED, Division of Investment and Economic Development (after October 3, 1949, Investment and Economic Development Staff), Department of State
  • EM, enlisted man
  • Emb, Embassy
  • Embdesp (Emdes), Embassy despatch
  • Embtel, Embassy telegram
  • ERP, European Recovery Program
  • EUR, Office (after October 3, 1949, Bureau) of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EW (E–W), East–West
  • ExIm Bank (Eximbank), Export-Import Bank of Washington
  • FACC, Foreign Assistance Correlation Committee
  • FASC, Foreign Assistance Steering Committee
  • FE, Office (after October 3, 1949, Bureau) of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • FEC, Finance and Economics Committee, Western Union
  • FIL, Federazione Italiana del Lavoro (Italian Federation of Labor)
  • FO, Force Ouvrière, French labor group
  • FonMin, Foreign Minister
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • FTT, Free Territory of Trieste
  • FWA, French West Africa
  • G, Deputy Under Secretary of State
  • GA, General Assembly of the United Nations
  • GADel, United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly; also Gadel, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Delegation
  • GARIOA, Government and Relief in Occupied Areas
  • GATT, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
  • GDR, German Democratic Republic
  • GTI, Division (after October 3, 1949, Office) of Greek, Turkish, and Iranian Affairs, Department of State
  • HICOG, United States High Commissioner for Germany
  • HICOM, High Commission(er) for Germany
  • HMG, His Majesty’s Government (United Kingdom)
  • IBRD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • IC, Division of International Conferences, Department of State
  • ICAO, International Civil Aviation Organization
  • IEPA, Inter-European Payments Agreement
  • IMF, International Monetary Fund
  • infotel, information telegram
  • INI, Institute National de Industria, Spanish industrial group
  • instr, instruction
  • intel, circular information telegram
  • IRO, International Refugee Organization
  • Itcols, former Italian colonies; also a series indicator for telegrams regarding the subject
  • ITO, International Trade Organization
  • ITP, Office of International Trade Policy, Department of State
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • L/E, Assistant Legal Adviser for Economic Affairs in the Office of the Legal Adviser, Department of State
  • LA, Latin America
  • LCGIL, Libera Confederazione Generale Italiana dei Lavoratori, Italian labor group
  • Leg, Legation
  • Legtel, Legation telegram
  • L.O.C., line of communication
  • M–day, mobilization day
  • MA, Military Attaché
  • MAP, Military Assistance Program
  • MDA(P), Mutual Defense Assistance (Program)
  • ME, Middle East
  • Min, Minister
  • MP, Marshall Plan
  • MSB, Military Supply Board, Western Union
  • mytel, my telegram
  • NAC, National Advisory Council on International Monetary and Financial Problems
  • NAP, North Atlantic Pact
  • NAT(O), North Atlantic Treaty (Organization)
  • NE, Near East
  • NEA, Office of Near Eastern and African Affairs (after October 3, 1949, Bureau of Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs), Department of State
  • niact, night action, communications indicator requiring attention by the recipient at any hour of the day or night
  • NME, National Military Establishment
  • NOE, Division of Northern European Affairs, Department of State
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • NSRB, National Security Resources Board
  • O, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Occupied Areas
  • OASIA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, Department of the Treasury
  • OEEC, Organization for European Economic Cooperation
  • OPC’s, overseas participating countries
  • OSR, Office of the Special Representative in Europe for the Economic Cooperation Administration
  • ourtel, our telegram
  • P, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
  • PA, procurement authorization
  • PC, Permanent Commission of the Consultative Council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Brussels Treaty powers
  • PC’s, participating countries
  • P.O.L., petroleum, oil, and lubricants
  • PPS, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • PriMin, Prime Minister
  • PSI, Partito Socialista Italiano (Italian Socialist Party)
  • PSLI, Partito Socialista dei Lavoratori Italiani (Socialist Party of Italian Workers, or Saragat Socialists)
  • QR, quantitative restriction(s)
  • RA, Office of European Regional Affairs, Department of State
  • reDeptel (refDeptel), regarding (reference) Department of State telegram
  • reftel, reference telegram
  • Repto, series indicator for messages from the Special Representative in Europe for the Economic Cooperation Administration to the Administration headquarters in Washington
  • reur, regarding your
  • RFC, Reconstruction Finance Corporation
  • RPF, Rassemblement du Peuple Français, French political party
  • S, Office of the Secretary of State
  • S/CFA, Coordinator for Foreign Military Assistance Programs, in the Office of the Secretary of State
  • S/P, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • Safehaven, code word for a program begun in 1944 to block the flight of Axis capital assets to neutral countries
  • SC, Security Council of the United Nations
  • SE, Division of Southern (after March 14, 1949, Southeast) European Affairs, Department of State
  • Secdel, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Delegation to the Council of Foreign Ministers and related conferences and meettings, at times headed by the Secretary of State
  • Sec Gen, Secretary-General
  • SNCF, Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français (French National Railway Authority)
  • SWE, Division of Southwest European Affairs, Department of State
  • SYG, Secretary-General
  • SYL, Somali Youth League
  • TC, Trusteeship Council of the United Nations
  • Telac, series indicator for telegrams to Secretary of State Acheson while away from Washington
  • Toeca, series indicator for telegrams to the Economic Cooperation Administration in Washington from its missions abroad
  • Torep, series indicator for messages to the Special Representative in Europe for the Economic Cooperation Administration from the Administration headquarters in Washington
  • U, Under Secretary of State
  • U/CFA, Coordinator for Foreign Assistance Programs, in the Office of the Under Secretary of State
  • U/FAA, Coordinator for Foreign Aid and Assistance, in the Office of the Under Secretary of State
  • UGT, Unión General del Trabajadores, Spanish labor group
  • UKDel, United Kingdom Delegation
  • UNA, Office (after October 3, 1949, Bureau) of United Nations Affairs, Department of State
  • UNGA, United Nations General Assembly
  • UNI, International Administration Staff (after October 3, 1949, Division of International Administration) Department of State
  • UNO, United Nations Organization
  • UNP, Division of United Nations Political Affairs (after October 3, 1949, Office of United Nations Political and Security Affairs), Department of State
  • UNSC, United Nations Security Council
  • UNS, Division of International Security Affairs, Department of State
  • UNSCOB, United Nations Special Committee on the Balkans
  • urtel, your telegram
  • USDel, United States Delegation (Delegate)
  • USG, United States Government
  • USGADel, United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
  • USIE, United States Information and Educational Exchange Program
  • USJCS, United States Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • USRep, United States Representative
  • USUN, United States Mission at the United Nations
  • USWG, United States Working Group
  • WE, Division (after October 3, 1949, Office) of Western European Affairs, Department of State
  • WFTU, World Federation of Trade Unions
  • WU, Western Union (Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, signatories of the Treaty of Brussels, March 17, 1948)
  • WUFEC, Western Union Finance and Economic Committee
  • WUMSB, Western Union Military Supply Board