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.

  • AC, Allied Council for Austria
  • ACR, Advisory Committee on Requirements
  • ADN, Allgemeiner Deutscher Nachriehtendienst, Soviet Licensed News Agency
  • AFL, American Federation of Labor
  • AGSec, Allied General Secretariat, Allied High Commission for Germany
  • AHC, Allied High Commission for Germany
  • ALCO, document designation for papers of the Allied Council for Austria
  • AmConGen, American Consul(ate) General
  • AmEmb, American Embassy
  • AmLeg, American Legation
  • AP, Associated Press
  • ARA, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Department of State
  • Atts, Attachés
  • Audel, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Delegation for Austria at the Council of Foreign Ministers
  • AusDeps, Deputies for Austria at the Council of Foreign Ministers
  • BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation
  • BDL, Bank Deutscher Länder, German Federal financial institution
  • CAFCO, Civil Affairs Committee
  • CDU, Christlich-Demokratische Union (Christian Democratic Union)
  • CEMA, Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
  • CFM, Council of Foreign Ministers
  • CG, Commanding General
  • CG, Paris Consultative Group of nations working to control export of strategic goods to Communist countries
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • CIC, Commander in Chief
  • CIO, Congress of Industrial Organizations
  • circinstr, circular instruction
  • circam, circular airgram
  • circtel (cirtel), circular telegram
  • cits, citizens
  • CMEA, Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
  • CN, commerce and navigation (treaty)
  • CNO, Chief of Naval Operations
  • CoCom, Coordinating Committee of the Paris Consultative Group of nations working to control export of strategic goods to Communist countries
  • Cominform, Communist Information Bureau
  • Comintern, Third (Communist) International
  • Cong, Congress; Congressional
  • ConGen, Consul(ate) General
  • CP, Communist Party
  • CP, Contracting Party
  • CPR, Chinese People’s Republic
  • CPSU(b), Communist Party of the Soviet Union (bolsheviks)
  • CPY, Communist Party of Yugoslavia
  • CRALOG, Council of Relief Agencies Licensed for Operation in Germany
  • CRC, Central Rhine Commission
  • DBD, Demokratische Bauernpartei Deutschlands (Democratic Peasant Party of Germany)
  • DDR, Deutsche Demokratische Republik (German Democratic Republic)
  • Delau, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Delegation for Austria at the Council of Foreign Ministers
  • Depcirgam, Department of State circular airgram
  • Depcirtel, Department of State circular telegram
  • Depinstr, Department of State instruction
  • Deptcirgam, Department of State circular airgram
  • Deptel, Department of State telegram
  • DM, Deutsche Mark
  • DP, displaced person
  • DRE, Division of Research for Europe, Department of State
  • EC, Executive Committee of the Allied Council for Austria
  • ECA, Economic Cooperation Administration
  • 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
  • ECOSOC, Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
  • ED, Investment and Economic Development Staff, Department of State
  • EE, Office of Eastern European Affairs, Department of State; Eastern Europe; Eastern European
  • Emb, Embassy
  • Embdes, Embassy despatch
  • Embtel, Embassy telegram
  • EPU, European Payments Union
  • ERP, European Recovery Program
  • EuCom, European Command, United States Army
  • EUR, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EW (E–W), East–West
  • Excon, designation for telegrams dealing with the export control program; export control
  • ExIm Bank (Eximbank), Export-Import Bank of Washington
  • FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization
  • FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice
  • FDGB, Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (Free German Trade Union League)
  • FDJ, Freie Demokratische Jugend (Free Democratic Youth)
  • FDP, Frei Demokratische Partei (Free Democratic Party)
  • FE, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State; Far East; Far Eastern
  • FEA, Foreign Economic Administration
  • FedRep, Federal Republic of Germany
  • FM, Foreign Minister
  • FMACC, Foreign Military Assistance Coordinating Committee
  • FonMin, Foreign Minister
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • ForMin, Foreign Minister
  • F.R., Federal Register
  • FS, Foreign Service
  • FSA, Foreign Service Alien
  • FSO’s, Foreign Service Officers
  • FSS, Foreign Service Staff
  • FYI, for your information
  • GA, General Assembly of the United Nations
  • GARIOA, Government and Relief in Occupied Areas
  • GATT, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
  • GDR, German Democratic Republic
  • GER, Bureau of German Affairs, Department of State
  • GHQ, General Headquarters
  • GNA, Greek National Army
  • GNP, gross national product
  • HICOG, United States High Commissioner for Germany
  • HICOM, High Commission(er) for Germany
  • HMG, His Majesty’s Government
  • HR, human rights
  • IAC, Intelligence Advisory Committee
  • IAR, International Authority for the Ruhr
  • IARA, Inter-Allied Reparation Agency
  • IBD, Division of International Broadcasting, Department of State
  • IBRD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • ICFTU, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
  • ICJ, International Court of Justice
  • IGG, series indicator for papers prepared by the Intergovernmental Study Group on Germany
  • ILO, International Labor Organization
  • IMF, International Monetary Fund
  • infotel, information telegram
  • INP, Division of International Press and Publications, Department of State
  • instrs, instructions
  • IRO, International Refugee Organization
  • ISG(G), Intergovernmental Study Group on Germany
  • ITF, International Transport Workers’ Federation
  • ITO, International Trade Organization
  • ITP, Office of International Trade Policy, Department of State
  • IT&T, International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation
  • ITU, International Telecommunication Union
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • JPRS, Joint Press Reading Service
  • KPD, Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (Communist Party of Germany)
  • L/E, Assistant Legal Adviser for Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • L/P, Assistant Legal Adviser for Public Affairs, Department of State
  • LDP, Liberal-Demokratische Partei (Liberal Democratic Party)
  • Leg, Legation
  • Legtel, Legation telegram
  • LL, Lend-Lease and Surplus Property Staff, Department of State
  • MA, Military Attaché
  • MAAG, Military Assistance Advisory Group
  • MAP, Military Assistance Program
  • MAV, Military Attaché, Vienna
  • MDAA, Mutual Defense Assistance Act
  • MDAP, Mutual Defense Assistance Program
  • MFA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • MFN, most favored nation (treaty)
  • MG, military government
  • MGB, Ministerstvo Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti (Ministry for State Security of the Soviet Union)
  • MilAtt, Military Attaché
  • MinFonAff, Minister (Ministry) of Foreign Affairs
  • MP’s, Ministers-President
  • MPO, Military Permit Office
  • MPSB, Military Production and Supply Board, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • MSB, Military Security Board
  • mytel, my telegram
  • NAC, National Advisory Council on International Monetary and Financial Problems
  • NAP, North Atlantic Pact
  • NAT(O), North Atlantic Treaty (Organization)
  • NCFE, National Committee for Free Europe
  • NDP, National-Demokratische Partei (National Democratic Party)
  • NE, Near East
  • NEA, Bureau of Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs, Department of State; Near East and Asia
  • niact, night action, communications indicator requiring attention by the recipient at any hour of the day or night
  • NME, National Military Establishment
  • Noce, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Delegation at the Economic Commission for Europe
  • NRW, Nordrhein-Westfalen
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • NSDAP, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers Party)
  • NSRB, National Security Resources Board
  • OC, Operating Committee (the executive committee of the Advisory Committee on Requirements)
  • OEEC, Organization for European Economic Cooperation
  • OFD, Office of Financial and Development Policy, Department of State
  • OIC, Office of International Commerce, Department of Commerce
  • OII, Office of International Information, Department of State
  • OIT, Office of International Trade, Department of Commerce
  • OM, operations memorandum (Department of State)
  • Orgburo, Organizational Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
  • OSR, Office of the United States Special Representative in Europe under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1948
  • ourtel, our telegram
  • OVIR, Bureau of Visas and Registration of Foreigners in the Ministry for Internal Affairs of the Soviet Union
  • P, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
  • P, series indicator for telegrams from the Commander in Chief of the United States Forces in Austria
  • PanAm, Pan American World Airways System
  • PC’s, participating countries
  • PCG’s, participating governments
  • PEPCO, Political and Economic Projects Committee, Office of the United States High Commissioner for Germany
  • PF, frigate
  • PL, Division of Public Liaison, Department of State
  • PL, Public Law
  • PLI, prohibited and limited industries
  • PM, Prime Minister
  • PNG, persona non grata
  • POL, petroleum, oil, lubricants
  • PolAd, Political Adviser
  • PolCom, Political Committee
  • Politburo, Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
  • POW, prisoner of war
  • PPS, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • PriMin, Prime Minister
  • PW, prisoner of war
  • R, Special Assistant for Intelligence, Department of State
  • RAF, Royal Air Force (British)
  • RAM, series indicator for papers prepared for the Rome Ambassadors meeting
  • RCA, Radio Corporation of America
  • RCT, Regimental Combat Team
  • reDeptel, regarding Department of State telegram
  • reEmbtel, regarding Embassy telegram
  • reftel, reference telegram
  • reourtel, regarding our telegram
  • Repsec, series indicator for telegrams to the Secretary of State from the United States Special Representative in Europe under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1948
  • Repto, series indicator for messages to the Economic Cooperation Administration headquarters in Washington from the United States Special Representative in Europe under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1948
  • reurtel, regarding your telegram
  • RIAS, Rundfunk im Amerikanischen Sektor (United States Radio in the American Sector of Berlin)
  • RPR, Romanian People’s Republic
  • S/P, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • S/S–PR, Executive Secretariat, Protocol Staff, Department of State
  • SAG, Sowjetische Aktiengesellschaft (Soviet Joint Stock Company)
  • SC, Security Council of the United Nations
  • SCC, Soviet Control Commission (in Germany)
  • SEA, Southeast Asia
  • 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
  • Secy Gen, Secretary-General
  • SED, Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (Socialist Unity Party), the Communist Party in East Germany
  • Sigto, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Delegation at the Intergovernmental Study Group on Germany
  • SMA, Soviet Military Administration in Germany
  • SovAG, Sowjetische Aktiengesellschaft (Soviet Joint Stock Company)
  • Sovinfobul, Soviet Information Bulletin, an official publication of the Embassy of the Soviet Union in Washington
  • SPD, Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (German Social Democratic Party)
  • SYG, Secretary-General
  • TA, trade agreement
  • Telac, series indicator for telegrams to Secretary of State Acheson while away from Washington
  • telecon, telecommunication conference
  • TIAS, Treaties and Other International Acts Series
  • TMMC, Tripartite Merchant Marine Commission
  • Toeca, series indicator for telegrams to the Economic Cooperation Administration in Washington from its missions abroad
  • Tomap, designation for telegrams concerned with the Mutual Defense Assistance Program
  • Torep, series indicator for messages from the Economic Cooperation Administration headquarters in Washington to the United States Special Representative in Europe under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1948
  • Tosec, series indicator for telegrams to the Secretary of State when he is absent from the Department; also, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Delegation to the May and September Foreign Ministers meetings
  • Tosig, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Delegation at the Intergovernmental Study Group on Germany
  • TPs, troops
  • TR, Tägliche Rundschau, East Berlin daily paper published by the Russians
  • TS, Department of State Treaty Series
  • UGO, Unabhängige Gewerkschaftsorganisation (Independent Trade Union Organization); or Unabhängige Gewerkschaftsopposition (Independent Trade Union Opposition)
  • UNA, Bureau of United Nations Affairs, Department of State
  • UNCOK, United Nations Commission on Korea
  • UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
  • UNGA, United Nations General Assembly
  • UNO, United Nations Organization
  • UNP, Office of United Nations Political and Security Affairs, Department of State
  • UNTS, United Nations Treaty Series
  • urdes, your dispatch
  • urinfo, your information
  • urreftel, your reference telegram
  • urtel, your telegram
  • U.S.A.F., United States Air Force
  • USCOA, United States Command, Austria
  • USCOB, United States Command(er), Berlin
  • USDel, United States Delegation
  • USFA, United States Forces in Austria
  • USG, United States Government
  • USIA, United States Information Agency
  • USIA, Upravleniye Sovetskogo Imushchestva v Avstrii (Administration for Soviet Property in Austria)
  • USIE, United States Information and Educational Exchange Program
  • USIS, United States Information Service
  • USN, United States Navy
  • USRep, United States Representative
  • USResDel, United States Resident Delegate
  • UST, United States Treaties and Other International Agreements
  • USUN, United States Mission at the United Nations
  • VIAC, Vienna Inter-Allied Command
  • VOA, Voice of America
  • VOANY, Voice of America at New York
  • WE, Office of Western European Affairs, Department of State; Western Europe; Western European
  • WFTU, World Federation of Trade Unions
  • WHO, World Health Organization
  • YAF, Yugoslav Air Force
  • yourad, your radiogram