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 Assistant Secretary of State for Administration
  • ADCOM, Advisory Commission (or Committee)
  • AE, atomic energy
  • AEC, Atomic Energy Commission
  • AFN, Armed Forces Network
  • A/FS, Director General, Foreign Service, Department of State
  • A/MS, Management Staff, Department of State
  • ANZUS, Australia, New Zealand, United States
  • ARA, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Department of State
  • ARA/P, Public Affairs Adviser, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Department of State
  • BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation
  • BNA, Office of British Commonwealth and Northern European Affairs, Department of State
  • BW, biological warfare
  • CA, Office of Chinese Affairs, Department of State
  • CEA, Council of Economic Advisers
  • CEV, Churchill–Eden visit
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • COMINT, Communications Intelligence
  • CON, Office of Security and Consular Affairs, Department of State
  • CPC, Combined Policy Committee
  • CS, Division of Central Services, Bureau of Administration, Department of State
  • CSC, Coal and Steel Community
  • CW, chemical warfare
  • DAC, Interdepartmental Working Group on Disarmament
  • DC, United Nations Disarmament Commission
  • 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
  • DMPA, Defense Materials Procurement Agency
  • DMS, Director for Mutual Security
  • DOD, Department of Defense
  • Dulte, primarily a series indicator for telegrams from Secretary of State Dulles while absent from Washington; also used as a series indicator for telegrams to Dulles from the head of the United States delegation at an international conference
  • ECA, Economic Cooperation Administration
  • ECOSOC, Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
  • ECSC, European Coal and Steel Community
  • EDC, European Defense Community
  • EPC, European Political Community
  • EUCOM, European Command
  • EUR, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • FBO, Office of Foreign Buildings Operations, Department of State
  • FCDA, Federal Civil Defense Administration
  • FE, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • FECOM, Far East Command
  • FE/P, Public Affairs Adviser, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • FI, Foreign Service Inspection Corps, Department of State
  • FOA, Foreign Operations Administration
  • FY, fiscal year
  • FYI, for your information
  • G, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of State
  • G–2, Army general staff section dealing with intelligence at the divisional level or higher
  • G/PM, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Politico-Military Affairs
  • GA, General Assembly of the United Nations
  • Gadel, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
  • GER, Bureau (from 1953, Office) of German Affairs, Department of State
  • GER/P, Public Affairs Adviser, Bureau (from 1953, Office) of German Affairs, Department of State
  • GSA, General Services Administration
  • H, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations
  • HICOG, United States High Commissioner for Germany
  • IAC, Intelligence Advisory Committee
  • IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency
  • IAE/S, Departmental Staff, Commission on Educational Exchange, United States International Information Administration
  • IBRD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • IBS, International Broadcasting Service
  • ICIS, Interdepartmental Committee on Internal Security
  • ICS, Information Center Service
  • IE, Intelligence Estimate (Department of State)
  • IFI, Field Programs, United States International Information Administration
  • IIA, International Information Administration
  • IIA:IPO, Office of Policy and Plans, United States International Information Administration
  • IIC, Interdepartmental Intelligence Conference
  • IMS, International Motion Picture Service
  • IO, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State
  • JAEIC, Joint Atomic Energy Intelligence Committee
  • JCAE, Joint Committee on Atomic Energy
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • JIC, Joint Intelligence Committee
  • KT, kilotons
  • L, Office of the Legal Adviser, Department of State
  • LOC, line of communication
  • L/P, Assistant Legal Adviser for Public Affairs, Department of State
  • L/UNA, Assistant Legal Adviser for United Nations Affairs, Department of State
  • MDAP, Mutual Defense Assistance Program
  • MGB, Ministerstvo Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti (Ministry for State Security of the Soviet Union)
  • MSA, Mutual Security Agency
  • MVD, Ministerstvo Vnutrennykh Del’ (Ministry of the Interior of the Soviet Union)
  • NAO, New York Administrative Office, United States International Information Agency
  • NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • NCFE, National Committee for a Free Europe
  • NEA, Bureau of Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs, Department of State
  • NEA/P, Public Affairs Adviser, 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
  • NIE, National Intelligence Estimate
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • NSRB, National Security Resources Board
  • OBF, Office of Budget and Finance, Department of State
  • OCB, Operations Coordinating Board
  • ODM, Office of Defense Mobilization
  • OEEC, Organization for European Economic Cooperation
  • OII, Office of International Information, Bureau of Public Affairs, Department of State
  • OIR, Office of Intelligence Research, Department of State
  • OM, operations memorandum
  • ONI, Office of Naval Intelligence
  • OOF, Office of Operating Facilities, Department of State
  • OSD, Office of the Secretary of Defense
  • OWI, Office of War Information
  • P, Bureau of Public Affairs, Department of State
  • PAO, Public Affairs Officer
  • PER, Office of Personnel, Department of State
  • POC, Psychological Operations Coordinating Committee
  • POW, prisoner of war
  • PPS, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • PRS, Program Planning and Evaluation Staff, Department of State
  • PSB, Psychological Strategy Board
  • PSF, President’s Secretary’s File (Truman Papers, Truman Library)
  • PWR, pressurized water reactor
  • RAC, Executive Committee on Regulation of Armaments
  • reftel, reference telegram
  • REP, Division of Foreign Reporting, Department of State
  • RFA, Radio Free Asia
  • RFC, Reconstruction Finance Corporation
  • RFE, Radio Free Europe
  • RIAS, Radio in the American sector of Berlin
  • ROK, Republic of Korea
  • RW, Radiological warfare
  • S/AE, Office of the Special Assistant (after May 1954, Consultant) to the Secretary of State for Atomic Energy Affairs
  • S/IAE, Office of the United States Representative for International Atomic Energy Negotiations
  • S/P, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • S/S, Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • S/S–S, Committee Secretariat Staff, Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • SAC, Strategic Air Command
  • SACEUR, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
  • SC, Security Council of the United Nations
  • SD–MICC (SD–MIC), State-Defense Military Information Control Committee
  • SE, Special Estimate
  • SHAPE, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe
  • SY, Division of Security, Bureau of Administration, Department of State to June 1953; thereafter, Office of Security, Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs
  • SYG, Secretary-General
  • TAC, Tactical Air Command
  • TC, Division of Language Services, Department of State
  • TCA, Technical Cooperation Administration, Department of State
  • Tedul, primarily a series indicator for telegrams to Secretary of State Dulles while absent from Washington; also used as a series indicator for telegrams from Dulles to the head of the United States Delegation at an international conference
  • Tousi, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Information Agency from posts abroad
  • U, Office of the Under Secretary of State
  • UK, United Kingdom
  • UNA, Bureau of United Nations Affairs, Department of State
  • UNA/IC, Division of International Conferences, Bureau of United Nations Affairs, Department of State
  • UNA/P, United Nations Planning Staff, Bureau of United Nations Affairs, Department of State
  • UNA/R, Refugees and Displaced Persons Staff, Bureau of United Nations Affairs, Department of State
  • UNC, United Nations Command
  • UNDC, United Nations Disarmament Commission
  • UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
  • UNGA, United Nations General Assembly
  • UNP, Office of United Nations Political and Security Affairs, Department of State
  • USAF, United States Air Force
  • USCIB, United States Communications Intelligence Board
  • USDel, United States Delegation
  • USGS, United States Geological Survey
  • USIA, United States Information Agency
  • USIE, United States Information and Education (program)
  • USIIA, United States International Information Administration
  • USIS, United States Information Service
  • Usito, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Information Agency to posts abroad
  • USUN, United States Mission at the United Nations
  • VOA, Voice of America