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, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Administration
  • AAUN, American Association for the United Nations
  • AFP, American and Foreign Power Company
  • AmEmb, American Embassy
  • ANE, Office of African and Near Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • AP, Associated Press
  • AR, Office of Regional American Affairs, Department of State; American Republics
  • ARA, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Department of State
  • ARA/E, Economic and Finance Adviser, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Department of State
  • ARA/P, Public Affairs Adviser, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Department of State
  • ASYG, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations
  • BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation
  • BNA, Office of British Commonwealth and Northern European Affairs, Department of State
  • CAP, Committee for Political Action, Guatemalan labor group
  • CCA, United Nations Commission for Conventional Armaments
  • CCC, Commodity Credit Corporation
  • CDT, Combined Development Trust, subsequently renamed Combined Development Agency
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • C.I.F., cost, insurance, and freight
  • CL, light cruiser
  • COAS, Council of the Organization of American States
  • Cominform, Communist Information Bureau
  • CON, Office of Consular Affairs, Department of State
  • CP, Commercial Policy Staff, Department of State
  • CPR, Chinese People’s Republic
  • CRO, Commonwealth Relations Office (British)
  • CSAV, Compañia Sudamericana de Vapores (South American Steamship Company), Chilean shipping line
  • DE, destroyer escort
  • Delga, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
  • Depciragram, Department of State circular airgram
  • Depcirtel, Department of State circular telegram
  • Deptcirgram, Department of State circular airgram
  • Deptel, Department of State telegram
  • E, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs
  • EC, Office of East Coast Affairs, Department of State (on September 1, 1950, EC was merged into OSA)
  • ECA, Economic Cooperation Administration
  • ECAFE, Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East
  • ECE, Economic Commission for Europe
  • ECOSOC, Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
  • EE, Eastern Europe
  • Emb, Embassy
  • Embtel, Embassy telegram
  • ERP, European Recovery Program
  • EUR, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State; European
  • Eximbank, Export-Import Bank of Washington
  • FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization
  • FCED, Friendship, Commerce, and Economic Development (treaty)
  • FE, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State; Far East; Far Eastern
  • FEC, Far Eastern Commission
  • FM, Foreign Minister
  • FMACC, Foreign Military Assistance Coordinating Committee
  • FO, Foreign Office
  • F.O.B., free on board
  • FonAffs, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives
  • FonMin, Foreign Ministry (Minister)
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • ForMin, Foreign Ministry (Minister)
  • forurinfo, for your information
  • FYI, for your information
  • GA, General Assembly of the United Nations
  • GAA, General Armistice Agreement
  • GAC, General Advisory Committee of the United States Atomic Energy Commission
  • Gadel, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
  • GADels, Delegations at the United Nations General Assembly
  • GATT, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
  • GC, General Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations
  • GOI, Government of India
  • GOP, Government of Pakistan
  • GTI, Office of Greek, Turkish, and Iranian Affairs, Department of State
  • H-bomb, hydrogen bomb
  • HICOG, United States High Commissioner for Germany
  • HICOM, High Commission(er) for Germany
  • H.R., designation for legislation introduced in the House of Representatives
  • IADB, Inter-American Defense Board
  • IA ECOSOC, Inter-American Economic and Social Council
  • IAPI, Institute Argentino de Promoción del Intercambio (Argentine Trade Promotion Institute)
  • IBRD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • IC, Interim Committee of the United Nations General Assembly
  • ICAO, International Civil Aviation Organization
  • ICJ, International Court of Justice
  • IIAA, Institute of Inter-American Affairs
  • ILC, International Law Commission of the United Nations General Assembly
  • ILO, International Labor Organization
  • IMF, International Monetary Fund
  • INS, Immigration and Naturalization Service
  • IRO, International Refugee Organization
  • ITU, International Telecommunication Union
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • KMT, Kuomintang (Nationalist Party), Republic of China
  • L, Office of the Legal Adviser, Department of State
  • L/A, Assistant Legal Adviser for Administration and Foreign Service, Department of State
  • L/M, Assistant Legal Adviser for Military Affairs and Special Problems, Department of State
  • L/UNA, Assistant Legal Adviser for United Nations Affairs, Department of State
  • LA, Latin America
  • LAS, Latin American States
  • Leg, Legation
  • MAP, Military Assistance Program
  • MDAA, Mutual Defense Assistance Act
  • MDAP, Mutual Defense Assistance Program
  • ME, Middle East; Middle Eastern
  • MEA, Middle East area
  • MFA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • MID, Office of Middle American Affairs, Department of State
  • MNR, Movimiento Nationalista Revolucionario (Nationalist Revolutionary Movement), Bolivian political party
  • mytel, my telegram
  • NAC, National Advisory Council on International Monetary and Financial Problems
  • NAT(O), North Atlantic Treaty (Organization)
  • NE, Office of Near Eastern Affairs, Department of State; Near East; Near Eastern
  • NEA, 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
  • NK, North Korean
  • NME, National Military Establishment
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • NSRB, National Security Resources Board
  • NWC, Office of North and West Coast Affairs, Department of State (on September 1, 1950, NWC was merged into OSA)
  • NWI, Netherlands West Indies
  • OAR, other American Republics
  • OAS, Organization of American States
  • OCSA, Office of the Chief of Staff, United States Army
  • OEA, Organización de los Estados Americanos (Organization of American States)
  • OEEC, Organization for European Economic Cooperation
  • OFD, Office of Financial and Development Policy, Department of State
  • OSA, Office of South American Affairs, Department of State (established September 1, 1950, as a result of a merger of EC and NWC)
  • P, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
  • Panagra, Pan American Grace Airways, Inc.
  • PanAm, Pan American World Airways System
  • PAR, Partido Acción Revolutionaria (Party of Revolutionary Action), Guatemalan political party
  • PAU, Pan American Union
  • PL, Public Law
  • PR, People’s Republic
  • PSA, Office of Philippine and Southeast Asian Affairs, Department of State
  • PSD, Partido Social Democrático (Social Democratic Party), Brazilian political party R, Office of the Special Assistant for Intelligence, Department of State
  • reftel, reference telegram
  • reurtel, regarding your telegram
  • RFC, Reconstruction Finance Corporation
  • ROK, Republic of Korea
  • S, Office of the Secretary of State
  • S., designation for legislation introduced in the United States Senate
  • S/MDA, Office of the Mutual Defense Assistance Program, Department of State
  • S/P, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • SA, Union of South Africa
  • SC, Security Council of the United Nations
  • SCAP, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in Japan
  • SCC, Interdepartmental Committee on Scientific and Cultural Cooperation
  • SEA, South-East Asia Department, British Foreign Office
  • SEC, Securities and Exchange Commission
  • Sec-Gen, Secretary-General of the United Nations
  • Secto, series indicator for telegrams from the Secretary of State when he is absent from the Department; also, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Delegation at the May and September Foreign Ministers meetings
  • SETUFCO, Sindicato de Empresa de Trabajadores de la United Fruit Company
  • SFM, September 1950 Foreign Ministers Meetings
  • SOA, Office of South Asian Affairs, Department of State
  • SOAFR, Union of South Africa
  • SONJ, Standard Oil Company of New Jersey
  • SovDel, Soviet Delegation
  • SR, Summary Record
  • SWA (SWAFR), South West Africa
  • SWNCC, State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee
  • SYG, Secretary-General, Indian Ministry of External Affairs
  • SYG, Secretary-General of the United Nations
  • TA, trade agreement
  • TAC, Interdepartmental Committee on Trade Agreements
  • Tass, Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union
  • TC, Trusteeship Council of the United Nations
  • TCA, Technical Cooperation Administration, Department of State
  • telcon, telephone conversation
  • TIAS, Treaties and Other International Acts Series
  • TVA, Tennessee Valley Authority
  • UDN, União Democrática Nacional (National Democratic Union), Brazilian political party
  • UKDel, United Kingdom Delegation
  • UM, Under Secretary’s Meeting
  • UN, United Nations
  • UNA, Bureau of United Nations Affairs, Department of State
  • UNAEC, United Nations Atomic Energy Commission
  • UNCOK, United Nations Commission on Korea
  • UND, Office of Dependent Area Affairs, Department of State
  • UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
  • UNGA, United Nations General Assembly
  • UNI, Division of International Administration, Department of State
  • UNICEF, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund
  • UNLC, United Nations Liaison Committee, Department of State
  • UNO, United Nations Organization
  • UNP, Office of United Nations Political and Security Affairs, Department of State
  • UNSCOB, United Nations Special Committee on the Balkans
  • UNSYG, Secretary-General of the United Nations
  • UP, United Press
  • UPU, Universal Postal Union
  • urinfo, your information
  • urtel, your telegram
  • USDel, United States Delegation
  • USES, United States Employment Service
  • USGADel, United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
  • USIE, United States Information and Educational Exchange Program
  • 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
  • VD, Visa Division, Department of State
  • WE, Office of Western European Affairs, Department of State; Western Europe; Western European
  • WFTU, World Federation of Trade Unions
  • WHO, World Health Organization
  • YPF, Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales, an Argentine Government petroleum agency
  • YPFB, Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos, a Bolivian Government petroleum agency