Office of the Historian

List of Abbreviations and Symbols

Editors’ 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.

  • AD, Acción Democrática, a Venezuelan political party
  • AEC, Atomic Energy Commission
  • AF, Office of African Affairs, Department of State
  • AP, Associated Press
  • APRA, Alianza Popular Revolucionario Americana, a Peruvian political party
  • APS, Agricultural Products Staff, Office of International Materials Policy, Department of State
  • AR, Office of Regional American Affairs, Department of State
  • ARA, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Department of State
  • AS & R, American Smelting and Refining Company
  • ASW, anti-submarine warfare
  • CA, Central America
  • CAA, Civil Aeronautics Administration
  • CAB, Civil Aeronautics Board
  • CCC, Commodity Credit Corporation
  • CGT, Confederación General del Trabajo (General Confederation of Labor), in Argentina
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • CINCARIB, Commander in Chief, Caribbean
  • cirtel, circular telegram
  • CMB, Corporación Minera de Bolivia (Mining Corporation of Bolivia)
  • COAS, Council of the Organization of American States
  • COCOM, Coordinating Committee of the Paris Consultative Group of nations working to control export of strategic goods to Communist countries
  • COMIBOL, Corporación Minera de Bolivia (Mining Corporation of Bolivia)
  • COPEI, Comité Organización Politica Electoral Independiente, a Venezuelan political party
  • CTAL, Confederación de Trabajadores de América Latina (Confederation of Latin American Workers)
  • Del, delegate, delegation
  • Delus, series indicator for telegrams from the United States delegation at an international conference
  • Depcirgram, Department of State circular airgram
  • Depcirtel, Department of State circular telegram
  • Depgam, Department of State airgram
  • Deptel, Department of State telegram
  • DMB, Defense Mobilization Board
  • DMPA, Defense Materials Procurement Agency
  • DMS, Director of Mutual Security
  • DO, Defense Order
  • DRA, Division of Research for American Republics, Department of State
  • 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
  • E, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs
  • ECLA, Economic Commission for Latin America, United Nations
  • ECOSOC, Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
  • ED, Investment and Economic Development Staff, Office of Financial and Development Policy, Department of State
  • EDT, Office of Economic Defense and Trade Policy, Department of State
  • Emb, Embassy
  • Embtel, Embassy telegram
  • EPS, Emergency Procurement Service
  • EUR, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EXIM Bank (Eximbank), Export-Import Bank of Washington
  • FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations
  • FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • FBO, Office of Foreign Buildings Operations, Department of State
  • FCN, Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation (treaty)
  • FinMin, Minister of Finance
  • FOA, Foreign Operations Administration
  • FonAffs, Foreign Affairs
  • FonMin, Foreign Minister
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • FSO, Foreign Service Officer
  • FY, fiscal year
  • FYI, for your information
  • G, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of State
  • GATT, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
  • GSA, General Services Administration
  • H, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations
  • HICOG, United States High Commissioner for Germany
  • IADB, Inter-American Defense Board
  • IA-ECOSOC (IAECOSOC), Inter-American Economic and Social Council
  • IAGS, Inter-American Geodetic Survey
  • IAPC, Inter-American Peace Committee of the Organization of American States
  • IAPI, Instituto Argentino de Promoción del Intercambio (Argentine Trade Promotion Institute)
  • IBRD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • IC, Division of International Conferences, Department of State
  • ICFTU, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
  • IIAA, Institute of Inter-American Affairs
  • ILO, International Labor Organization
  • IMC, International Materials Conference
  • IMF, International Monetary Fund
  • IO, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State
  • IRCA, International Railways of Central America
  • ISA, Office of International Security Affairs, Department of Defense
  • JBUSDC, Joint Brazil–United States Defense Commission
  • JBUSEDC, Joint Brazil–United States Economic Development Commission
  • JBUSMC, Joint Brazil–United States Military Commission
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • JMUSDC, Joint Mexico–United States Defense Commission
  • L/E, Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • LA, Latin America
  • LAV, Línea Aeropostal Venezolana, a government-owned Venezuelan airline
  • LL, Lend-Lease and Surplus Property Staff, Department of State
  • MAAG, Military Assistance Advisory Group
  • MAP, Military Assistance Program
  • MC, Military Committee
  • MD, Munitions Division, Department of State
  • MDA, Mutual Defense Assistance
  • MDAA, Mutual Defense Assistance Act
  • MDAP, Mutual Defense Assistance Program
  • MID, Office of Middle American Affairs, Department of State
  • mil, military
  • MinFin, Minister of Finance
  • MINMET, Minerales y Metales, S.A., an Argentine mining company
  • MMS, Metals and Minerals Staff, Office of International Materials Policy, Department of State
  • MNR, Movimiento National Revolucionario (National Revolutionary Movement), a Bolivian political party
  • MSA, Mutual Security Agency; Mutual Security Act (of 1951)
  • mytel, my telegram
  • NAC, National Advisory Council on International Monetary and Financial Problems
  • NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • 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
  • OAR, other American Republics
  • OAS, Organization of American States
  • OCB, Operations Coordinating Board
  • ODECA, Organización de Estados Centro Americanos (Organization of Central American States)
  • ODM, Office of Defense Mobilization
  • OFD, Office of Financial and Development Policy, Department of State
  • OIE, Office of Intelligence Estimates, Department of State
  • OIR, Office of Intelligence Research, Department of State
  • OIT, Office of International Trade, Department of Commerce
  • OLA, Office of Latin American Operations, Foreign Operations Administration
  • OMP, Office of International Materials Policy
  • OPS, Office of Price Stabilization
  • ORIT, Organización Regional Interamericana de Trabajadores (Inter-American Regional Organization of Workers)
  • OSA, Office of South American Affairs, Department of State
  • P, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
  • PAA, Pan American Airlines
  • Panagra, Pan American Grace Airways, Inc.
  • PAO, Public Affairs Officer
  • PAU, Pan American Union
  • PJBD, Permanent Joint Board on Defense
  • R, Office of the Special Assistant for Intelligence, Department of State
  • reDeptel, regarding Department of State telegram
  • reEmbtel, regarding Embassy telegram
  • reftel, reference telegram
  • remytel, regarding my telegram
  • reurtel, regarding your telegram
  • RFC, Reconstruction Finance Corporation
  • S/P, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • S/S, Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • SHADA, Société Haitiane-Americaine de Développement Agricole (Haitian-American Society for Agricultural Development)
  • STICA, Servicio Técnico Interamericano de Cooperación Agrícola (Inter-American Technical Service for Agricultural Cooperation)
  • TA, technical assistance
  • TCA, Technical Cooperation Administration
  • 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
  • Totec, designation for telegrams and despatches dealing with technical assistance
  • TRC, Office of Transport and Communication Policy, Department of State
  • U, Office of the Under Secretary of State
  • UFCO, United Fruit Company
  • 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
  • UNSC, United Nations Security Council
  • UNTA, United Nations Technical Assistance
  • UPI, United Press International
  • URD, Unión Republicana Democrática, a Venezuelan political party
  • urinfo, your information
  • urtel, your telegram
  • USA, United States Army
  • USAF, United States Air Force
  • USDel, United States Delegation; also a series indicator for telegrams to the United States delegation at an international conference
  • USIA, United States Information Agency
  • USIE, United States Information and Educational Exchange Program
  • USIS, United States Information Service
  • USMC, United States Marine Corps
  • USN, United States Navy
  • USOM, United States Operations Mission
  • USUN, United States Mission at the United Nations
  • VOA, Voice of America
  • WFTU, World Federation of Trade Unions
  • XMB, Export-Import Bank of Washington
  • YPF, Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales, an Argentine Government petroleum agency