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–, Airgram
  • ACEP, Advisory Committee on Export Policy
  • AEC, Atomic Energy Commission
  • AF, Office of African Affairs, Department of State
  • Agric, United States Department of Agriculture
  • AIOC, Anglo-Iranian Oil Company
  • Amb, Ambassador
  • AMC, Additional Measures Committee of the United Nations
  • AmEmb, American Embassy
  • A/MS, Management Staff, Bureau of Administration, Department of State
  • APS, Agricultural Products Staff, Office of International Materials Policy, Department of State
  • ARA, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Department of State
  • Benelux, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg
  • BNA, Office of British Commonwealth and Northern European Affairs, Department of State
  • BOT, Board of Trade (British)
  • BPT, Business Practices and Technology Staff, Office of Economic Defense and Trade Policy, Department of State
  • BW, biological warfare
  • CCC, Commodity Credit Corporation
  • CCF, Chinese Communist Forces
  • CD, North Atlantic Council Deputies
  • CE, Central Europe
  • CEA, Council of Economic Advisers
  • CFM, Council of Foreign Ministers
  • CG, Paris Consultative Group of nations working to control export of strategic goods to Communist countries
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • circDeptel, circular Department of State telegram
  • cirtel, circular telegram
  • 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
  • CP, Commercial Policy Staff, Office of Economic Defense and Trade Policy, Department of State
  • CP’s, Contracting Parties to GATT, acting as a collective body
  • CW, chemical warfare
  • DCI, Director of Central Intelligence
  • Del, Delegate; Delegation
  • Delga, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Delegation to the United Nations General Assembly
  • Deltel, Delegation telegram
  • Depcirtel, Department of State circular telegram
  • Deptel, Department of State telegram
  • Depto, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Deputy Representative to the North Atlantic Council
  • DirGen, Director General
  • Dom Rep, Dominican Republic
  • DOT, dependent overseas territory
  • DPA, Defense Production Administration
  • DPB, Defense Production Board, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • DRE, Division of Research for Europe, Department of State
  • E, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs
  • E/ITR, Office of International Trade and Resources, Department of State
  • 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
  • ECOSOC, Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
  • EDF, European Defense Force
  • EDS, Economic Defense Staff, Office of Economic Defense and Trade Policy, Department of State
  • EDT, Office of Economic Defense and Trade Policy, Department of State
  • EE, Office of Eastern European Affairs, Department of State
  • Emb, Embassy
  • Embdesp, Embassy despatch
  • Emboff, Embassy office
  • Embtel, Embassy telegram
  • E.O., Executive Order
  • EPU, European Payments Union
  • ER, Economic Resources and Security Staff, Office of International Trade Policy, Department of State
  • ERP, European Recovery Program
  • EUR, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • Eur, Europe
  • E–W, East–West
  • Excon, designation for telegrams dealing with the export control program; export control
  • Exim (Ex-Im Bank), Export-Import Bank of Washington
  • Ext Aff Secy, External Affairs Secretary
  • FAO, Food and Agricultural Organization
  • FCDA, Federal Civil Defense Administration
  • FCN, Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation (treaty)
  • FE, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • FEB, Financial and Economic Broad, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • FedRep, Federal Republic of Germany
  • Fon Aff, Foreign Affairs
  • FonMin, Foreign Minister
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • F.R., Federal Register
  • FY, fiscal year
  • FYI, for your information
  • GA, General Assembly
  • Gadel, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Delegation to the United Nations General Assembly
  • GATT, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
  • GSA, General Services Administration
  • GTI, Office of Greek, Turkish, and Iranian Affairs, Department of State
  • H, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations
  • HICOG, United States High Commissioner for Germany
  • HICOM, High Commission(er) for Germany
  • H.R., designation for legislation introduced in the House of Representatives
  • IAC, Intelligence Advisory Committee
  • IADB, Inter-American Defense Board
  • IBRD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • ICIS, Interdepartmental Committee on Internal Security
  • ICITO, Interim Commission, International Trade Organization
  • IE, Intelligence Estimate
  • IIAA, Institute of Inter-American Affairs
  • IIC, Interdepartmental Intelligence Conference
  • IL, International List (of embargoed goods)
  • IMC, International Materials Conference
  • IMF, International Monetary Fund
  • instrcs, instructions
  • IO, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State
  • IRM, International Raw Materials Staff
  • ISAC, International Security Affairs Committee
  • ITO, International Trade Organization
  • ITP, Office of International Trade Policy, Department of State
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • KMT, Kuomintang (Nationalist Party), Republic of China
  • L/E, Assistant Legal Adviser for Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • L/SPF, Assistant Legal Adviser for Special Political Functions, Department of State
  • Leg, Legation
  • Legtel, Legation telegram
  • MATS, Military Air Transport Service
  • MDAC, Mutual Defense Assistance Control Act of 1951
  • MDAP, Mutual Defense Assistance Program
  • MFN, most favored nation
  • Min Ext Affairs, Minister for External Affairs
  • Min Fon Trade, Minister of Foreign Trade
  • Min Ind, Minister for Industry
  • MMS, Metals and Minerals Staff, Office of International Materials Policy, Department of State
  • MN’s, multilateral negotiations
  • MPS, Manufactured Products Staff, Office of International Materials Policy, Department of State
  • MSA, Mutual Security Agency
  • MTDP, Medium Term Defense Plan
  • mytel, my telegram
  • NA, Office of Northeast Asian Affairs, Department of State
  • 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
  • NEA, Bureau of Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs, Department of State
  • NEDS, Near East Development Service
  • niact, night action, communications indicator requiring attention by the recipient at any hour of the day or night
  • NIE, National Intelligence Estimate
  • NPA, National Production Authority
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • NSRB, National Security Resources Board
  • NZ, New Zealand
  • OAS, Organization of American States
  • ODM, Office of Defense Mobilization; also designation for documents of the Defense Mobilization Board
  • OEEC, Organization for European Economic Cooperation
  • OIR, Office of Intelligence Research, Department of State
  • OIT, Office of International Trade, Department of Commerce
  • OLI, Office of Libraries and Intelligence-Acquisition, Department of State
  • OMP, Office of International Materials Policy, Department of State
  • ONE, Office of National Estimates
  • OPC, Office of Policy Coordination, Central Intelligence Agency
  • ourtel, our telegram
  • OSA, Office of South American Affairs, Department of State
  • OSR, Office of the United States Special Representative in Europe under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1948
  • PAD, Petroleum Administration for Defense
  • PED, Petroleum Policy Staff, Office of International Materials Policy, Department of State
  • P.L., Public Law
  • PSF, President’s Secretary’s File
  • PW, prisoner of war
  • QC, quantitative control
  • QR, quantitative restriction(s)
  • reDepcirtel, regarding Department of State circular telegram
  • reEmbs, regarding Embassy’s
  • 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
  • RFC, Reconstruction Finance Corporation
  • S/ISA, Office of International Security Affairs, Department of State
  • S/P, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • S/S, Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • SE, Special Estimate
  • Sec. 22, section 22 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act
  • SHAPE, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe
  • SKF, Svenska Kullagerfabriken, AB
  • SOA, Office of South Asian Affairs, Department of State
  • SoAfr, Union of South Africa
  • SUSRep, Senior United States Representative, North Atlantic Treaty Military Production Supply Board
  • T/O and E, Table of Organization and Equipment
  • TA, trade agreement
  • TAC, Interdepartmental Committee on Trade Agreements
  • Tagg, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Delegation at the meetings of the Contracting Parties of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
  • TarCom, United States Tariff Commission
  • TC, United States Tariff Commission
  • TCA, Technical Cooperation Administration, Department of State
  • TCC, Tariff Commission Chairman
  • TCC, Temporary Council Committee
  • TIAS, Treaties and Other International Acts Series
  • TNC, Tariff Negotiations Committee
  • Todep, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Deputy Representative to the North Atlantic Council
  • Toeca, series indicator for telegrams to the Economic Cooperation Administration in Washington from its missions abroad
  • Toisa, designation for telegrams dealing with matters within the responsibility of the Director, International Security Affairs, Department of State
  • Tosec, series indicator for telegrams from the Department of State to the Secretary of State or his Delegation in connection with conferences of Foreign Ministers
  • Treas, Department of the Treasury
  • TRI, United States, United Kingdom, and France (within the Paris Consultative Group)
  • U/FW, Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State (Fisheries and Wildlife)
  • UKDel, United Kingdom Delegation
  • UM, designation for documentation circulated in the Under Secretary of State’s Meetings; Under Secretary’s Meeting
  • UN, United Nations
  • UNA, Bureau of United Nations Affairs, Department of State
  • UNGA, United Nations General Assembly
  • UNP, Office of United Nations Political and Security Affairs, Department of State
  • UNRRA, United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
  • urinfo, your information
  • urtel, your telegram
  • USAF, United States Air Force
  • USDel, United States Delegation
  • USDep, United States Deputy Representative
  • USN, United States Navy
  • USTAC, United States Interdepartmental Committee on Trade Agreements
  • WE, Office of Western European Affairs, Department of State; Western Europe
  • WG, Working Group
  • WP, Working Party