Office of the Historian

List of abbreviations

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.

  • AA, anti-aircraft
  • AC of S, Acting Chief of Staff
  • Actel, series indicator for telegrams from Secretary of State Acheson while away from Washington
  • AFP, Agence France Presse
  • ALUSNA, United States Naval Attaché
  • AMC, Additional Measures Committee (United Nations); see CAM
  • AP, Associated Press
  • ASAP, as soon as possible
  • BJSM, British Joint Services Mission
  • bn, battalion
  • BNA, Office of British Commonwealth and Northern European Affairs, Department of State
  • C of S, Chief of Staff
  • CA, Office of Chinese Affairs, Department of State
  • CAF, Chinese Air Force
  • Caltex, California Texas Oil Company, Limited
  • CAM, Committee on Additional Measures (or Additional Measures Committee), ad hoc Committee of the United Nations Collective Measures Committee, established to consider sanctions against the People’s Republic of China
  • CC, Central Committee
  • CC, Chinese Communist
  • CCAF, Chinese Communist Air Force
  • CCF, Chinese Communist Forces
  • CCP, Chinese Communist Party
  • CFM, Council of Foreign Ministers
  • CG, Commanding General
  • CG 13 AF, Commanding General, Thirteenth Air Force
  • CGEUSAK, Commanding General, Eighth United States Army in Korea
  • CGUNCACK, Commanding General, United Nations Civil Assistance Command in Korea
  • Chicom, Chinese Communist
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • CIC, Counter Intelligence Corps
  • CINC, Commander in Chief
  • CINCFE, Commander in Chief, Far East
  • CINCPAC, Commander in Chief, Pacific
  • CINCUNC, Commander in Chief, United Nations Command
  • CMC, Collective Measures Committee, United Nations
  • CNA, Chinese Nationalist Army
  • CO, Commanding Officer
  • COB, close of business
  • COCOM, Coordinating Committee of the Paris Consultative Group of nations working to control export of strategic goods to Communist countries
  • COM 7TH FLT, Commander, Seventh Fleet
  • COMNAVFE, Commander, United States Naval Forces in the Far East
  • COMNAVPHIL, Commander, United States Naval Forces in the Philippines
  • CP, counterpart
  • CPG, Central People’s Government (People’s Republic of China); Chinese People’s Government
  • CPR, Chinese People’s Republic
  • CRIK, Civil Relief in Korea
  • CRO, Commonwealth Relations Office (British)
  • CSA (CSUSA), Chief of Staff, United States Army
  • CV, aircraft carrier
  • DA, Department of the Army
  • Delga, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
  • Depcirtel, Department of State circular telegram
  • Deptel, Department of State telegram
  • DL, Dalai Lama
  • E, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs
  • E/VFA, Adviser on Voluntary Foreign Aid, 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
  • ECOSOC, Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
  • EE, Office of Eastern European Affairs, Department of State
  • Embdes, Embassy despatch
  • EmbOff, Embassy officer
  • Embtel, Embassy telegram
  • en, enemy
  • ESB, Economic Stabilization Board (Republic of China)
  • ESC, Joint Korean-American Economic Stabilization Committee
  • ETD, estimated time of departure
  • EUR, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EUSAK, Eighth United States Army in Korea
  • Excon, designation for telegrams dealing with the export control program; export control
  • FE, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • FEAF, Far East Air Forces
  • FEC (FECOM), Far East Command
  • FonMin, Foreign Minister
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • FP, Division of Foreign Service Personnel, Department of State
  • FY, fiscal year
  • FYI, for your information
  • G, Deputy Under Secretary of State
  • G–2, Army general staff section dealing with intelligence at the divisional or higher level
  • G–3, Army general staff section dealing with operations and training at the divisional or higher level
  • G–4, Army general staff section dealing with supply at the divisional or higher level
  • GA, General Assembly of the United Nations
  • Gadel, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
  • GADel, United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
  • GARIOA, Government and Relief in Occupied Areas
  • GHQ, General Headquarters
  • GOC, Good Offices Committee (United Nations)
  • GOC, Government of Ceylon
  • GOI, Government of India
  • HICOM, High Commissioner
  • HMG, His Majesty’s Government
  • I, interior, i.e., local, time
  • IAC, Intelligence Advisory Committee
  • IC, Indochina
  • ICRC, International Committee of the Red Cross
  • IntSum, Intelligence Summary
  • IRC, International Red Cross
  • IRO, International Refugee Organization
  • ISAC, International Security Affairs Committee
  • JA, Judge Advocate
  • JAS, Joint Administrative Services
  • JCRR, Joint (United States-Chinese) Commission on Rural Rehabilitation (Taiwan)
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • JSPOG, Joint Strategic Plans and Operations Group
  • J.S.S.C., Joint Strategic Survey Committee
  • JUSMAG, Joint United States Military Advisory Group
  • K, Korean time
  • KIA, killed in action
  • KMAG, United States Military Advisory Group to the Republic of Korea
  • KMT, Kuomintang (Nationalist Party), Republic of China
  • KPDR, Korean People’s Democratic Republic
  • LA, Latin America
  • ln, liaison
  • LST, landing ship, tank
  • LVT, landing vehicle tracked
  • MAAG, Military Assistance Advisory Group
  • MAC, Military Armistice Commission
  • MDA, Mutual Defense Assistance
  • MDAP, Mutual Defense Assistance Program
  • MEA, Ministry of External Affairs
  • MIA, missing in action
  • MND, Ministry of National Defense, Republic of China
  • MSA, Mutual Security Agency
  • NA, Office of Northeast Asian Affairs, Department of State
  • NAS, Naval Air Station
  • NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • NAVFE, Naval Forces, Far East
  • NCNA, New China News Agency, People’s Republic of China
  • NE, Office of Near Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • NEA, Bureau of Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs, Department of State
  • NGRC, National Government of the Republic of China
  • niact, night action, communications indicator requiring attention by the recipient at any hour of the day or night
  • NIE, National Intelligence Estimate
  • NK, North Korea
  • NKA, North Korean Army
  • NKAF, North Korean Air Force
  • NKPA, North Korean People’s Army
  • NKVD, Soviet secret police
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • NSRB, National Security Resources Board
  • NT, New Taiwan (Republic of China currency)
  • OFLC, Office of the Foreign Liquidation Commissioner, Department of State
  • OIR, Office of Intelligence Research, Department of State
  • OIT, Office of International Trade, Department of Commerce
  • ONI, Office of Naval Intelligence, Department of the Navy
  • OOA, Office of Occupied Areas, Department of the Army
  • OPC, Office of Policy Coordination, Central Intelligence Agency
  • OPI, Office of Public Information, Republic of Korea
  • OPLR, Outpost Line of Resistance
  • OSS, Office of Strategic Services
  • PA, procurement authorization
  • PI, Philippine Islands
  • P.L., Public Law
  • POC, Peace Observation Commission
  • POL, petroleum, oil, and lubricants
  • PolAd, Political Adviser
  • POW, prisoner of war
  • PRC, People’s Republic of China
  • PriMin, Prime Minister
  • PTI, Press Trust of India (Reuters)
  • PW, prisoner of war
  • R, Office of the Special Assistant for Intelligence, Department of State
  • RA, Office of European Regional Affairs, Department of State
  • reftel, reference telegram
  • ROK, Republic of Korea
  • S/A, Ambassador at Large, Department of State
  • S/ISA, Office of International Security Affairs, Department of State
  • S/S, Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • SAC, Strategic Air Command
  • SC, Security Council of the United Nations
  • SCAP, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in Japan
  • SE, Special Estimate
  • SEA, Southeast Asia
  • SEAC, Southeast Asia Aid Policy Committee
  • SGS, Secretary of the General Staff
  • SigO, Signal Officer
  • SOA, Office of South Asian Affairs, Department of State
  • Stanvac, Standard Vacuum Oil Company
  • STEM, United States Special Technical and Economic Mission
  • SYG, Secretary-General
  • T/O and E, Table of Organization and Equipment
  • TCC, Temporary Council Committee, NATO
  • telecon, telecommunication conference
  • TIAS, Treaties and Other International Acts Series
  • 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
  • Topad, designation for telegraphic correspondence in either direction between the United States Political Adviser to SCAP and the 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
  • TS, top secret
  • TT, Tidningarnas Telegrambyrȧ, Swedish Central News Agency
  • UC, Unified Command
  • UKG, United Kingdom Government
  • UKHC, United Kingdom High Commissioner
  • UKUN, United Kingdom Mission at the United Nations
  • UNA, Bureau of United Nations Affairs, Department of State
  • UNAMC, United Nations Additional Measures Committee
  • UNC, United Nations Command
  • UNCACK, United Nations Civil Assistance Command, Korea
  • UNCOK, United Nations Commission on Korea
  • UNCURK, United Nations Commission for the Unification and Rehabilitation of Korea
  • UNE, Office of United Nations Economic and Social Affairs, Department of State
  • UNKRA, United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency
  • Unmis, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Mission at the United Nations
  • UNO, United Nations Organization
  • UNP, Office of United Nations Political and Security Affairs, Department of State
  • UNRRA, United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
  • urtel, your telegram
  • USARMA, United States Army Attaché
  • USDel, United States Delegation
  • USIE, United States Information and Educational Exchange Program
  • USPolAd, United States Political Adviser
  • UST, United States Treaties and Other International Agreements
  • Usun, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Mission at the United Nations to the Department of State
  • USUN, United States Mission at the United Nations
  • USUNNY, United States Mission at the United Nations, New York
  • WAC, Women’s Army Corps
  • WE, Office of Western European Affairs, Department of State
  • Z, Greenwich Mean Time
  • ZI, Zone of the Interior