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.

  • AEC, Atomic Energy Commission
  • AF, Office of African Affairs, Department of State; African
  • Amb, Ambassador
  • ANZUS, Australia, New Zealand, United States
  • AP, Associated Press
  • ARA, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Department of State
  • AS, Associated States
  • ASAF, Asian–African
  • BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation
  • BNA, Office of British Commonwealth and Northern European Affairs, Department of State
  • CAA, Civil Aeronautics Administration
  • C.F.R., Code of Federal Regulations
  • CHI, Chinese
  • CMC, Collective Measures Committee, United Nations
  • Commies, Communists
  • CON, Office of Security and Consular Affairs, Department of State
  • Cong, Congress; Congressional
  • CPG, Central People’s Government (People’s Republic of China)
  • Del, Delegate; Delegation
  • Delga, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly; also used to refer to United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
  • Depciragram, Department of State circular airgram
  • Depcirtel, Department of State circular telegram
  • Dept, Department (usually the Department of State)
  • Deptel, Department of State telegram
  • DOTS, Dependent Overseas Territories
  • ECA, Economic Cooperation Administration
  • ECAFE, Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East
  • ECLA, Economic Commission for Latin America, United Nations
  • ECOSOC, Economic and Social Council, United Nations
  • ED, Investment and Economic Development Staff, Department of State
  • EDC, European Defense Community
  • Embtel, Embassy telegram
  • EUR, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations
  • FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice
  • FE, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State; Far East; Far Eastern
  • FE/P, Public Affairs Adviser, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • FEA, Foreign Economic Administration
  • FIDES, Fonds d’investissement pour le développement économique et sociale
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • ForMin, Foreign Minister
  • F.R., Federal Register
  • FYI, for your information
  • G, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of State
  • GA, General Assembly of the United Nations
  • GADel, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly; also used to refer to United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
  • GATT, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
  • GC, General Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations
  • GER, Bureau (from 1953, Office) of German Affairs, Department of State
  • GOI, Government of India
  • GPA, Office of German Political Affairs, Department of State
  • H–bomb, hydrogen bomb
  • HEW, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
  • HICOMER, High Commissioner
  • HMG, Her (His) Majesty’s Government
  • IA–ECOSOC, Inter-American Economic and Social Council
  • IBRD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • ICAO, International Civil Aviation Organization
  • ICEM, Intergovernmental Committee for European Migrants
  • ICIS, Interdepartmental Committee on Internal Security
  • ICJ, International Court of Justice
  • ILO, International Labor Organization
  • IMF, International Monetary Fund
  • IO, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State
  • ITO, International Trade Organization
  • ITU, International Telecommunication Union
  • L, Office of the Legal Adviser, Department of State
  • L/UNA, Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for United Nations Affairs, Department of State
  • LAs, Latin Americans
  • LADels, Latin American Delegations
  • MEA, Ministry of External Affairs of India
  • MEC, Middle East Command
  • MEDO, Middle East Defense Organization
  • MP, Member of Parliament
  • MSA, Mutual Security (Act, Agency, or Assistance)
  • MSP, Mutual Security Program
  • NA, Office of Northeast Asian Affairs, Department of State
  • NA/J, Office of Northeast Asian Affairs (Japan), Department of State
  • NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • NEA, Bureau of Near Eastern, South Asian and African Affairs, Department of State
  • NGOs, nongovernmental organizations
  • 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
  • NSGT, Non-Self-Governing Territories
  • NZ, New Zealand
  • OAS, Organization of American States
  • OCB, Operations Coordinating Board
  • ODA, Office of Dependent Area Affairs, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State
  • OEEC, Organization for European Economic Cooperation
  • OIR, Office of Intelligence Research, Department of State
  • OSA, Office of South American Affairs, Department of State
  • PA, Bureau of Public Affairs, Department of State
  • P.L., Public Law
  • PMs, Prime Ministers
  • POWs, prisoners of war
  • PRC, People’s Republic of China
  • PSA, Office of Philippine and Southeast Asian Affairs, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • RA, Office of European Regional Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • RAC, Executive Committee on Regulation of Armaments
  • refagram, reference airgram
  • ROK, Republic of Korea
  • S/MSA, Office of the Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Mutual Security Affairs
  • S/P, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • S/S, Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • S/S–PR, Protocol Staff, Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • S/S–S, Committee Secretariat Staff, Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • SC, Security Council of the United Nations
  • SE, Southeast
  • SEA, Southeast Asia
  • SEATO, Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
  • S.J.Res., Senate Joint Resolution
  • SOA, Office of South Asian Affairs, Department of State
  • Sov, Soviet
  • S. Res., Senate Resolution
  • SUNFED, Special United Nations Fund for Economic Development
  • SYG, Secretary-General
  • SYG UN, Secretary-General of the United Nations
  • TASS, Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union
  • TC, Trusteeship Council of the United Nations
  • TCA, Technical Cooperation Administration, Department of State
  • TIAS, Treaties and Other International Acts Series
  • TTPI, Trust Territory of Pacific Islands
  • UK, United Kingdom
  • UKDel, United Kingdom Delegation
  • UKEmb, United Kingdom Embassy
  • UKUN, United Kingdom Mission at the United Nations
  • UN, United Nations
  • UNA, Bureau of United Nations Affairs, Department of State
  • UNA/P, United Nations Planning Staff, Department of State
  • UNCI, United Nations Commission for Indonesia
  • UNCURK, United Nations Commission for the Unification and Rehabilitation of Korea
  • UND, Office of Dependent Area Affairs, Department of State
  • UNE, Office of United Nations Economic and Social 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
  • UNKRA, United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency
  • UNP, Office of United Nations Political and Security Affairs, Department of State
  • UNRWAP (UNRWAPNE), United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
  • UNSYG, Secretary-General of the United Nations
  • UN TA, United Nations Technical Assistance
  • UNTAA, United Nations Technical Assistance Administration
  • UPU, Universal Postal Union
  • urtel, your telegram
  • U.S.C., United States Code
  • USDel, United States Delegate (Delegation)
  • USGADel, United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
  • USIA, United States Information Agency
  • USIE, United States Information and Educational Exchange (program)
  • USReps, United States Representatives
  • USSR, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
  • USUN, United States Mission at the United Nations
  • VD, Visa Division, Office of Security and Consular Affairs, 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, United Nations
  • WIDF, Women’s International Democratic Federation
  • YWCA, Young Women’s Christian Association