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.

  • AA, anti-aircraft
  • ACC, Allied Control Council for Germany
  • Actel, series indicator for telegrams from Secretary of State Acheson while away from Washington
  • AFP, Agence France Presse (French Press Agency)
  • AGSec, Allied General Secretariat, Allied High Commission for Germany
  • AHC, Allied High Commission for Germany
  • AMG, Allied Military Government
  • ANZUS, Australia, New Zealand, United States
  • AR, Annual Review
  • Aramco, Arabian American Oil Company
  • ARC, Annual Review Committee
  • ARQ, Annual Review Questionnaire
  • ARS, Action Républicain et Sociale (French Political Party)
  • ASDIC, Anti-Submarine Detection Investigation Committee
  • ASIC, Associated States of Indochina
  • AWX, type of airplane
  • Benelux, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg
  • BHE, Bund der Heimatvertriebenen und Entrechteten (League of Expellees and Disfranchised)
  • BNA, Office of British Commonwealth and Northern European Affairs, Department of State
  • BOB, Bureau of the Budget
  • C, Counselor of the Department of State
  • ca, circular airgram
  • Cab, Cabinet
  • CD, Council Deputies
  • CDU, Christlich-Demokratische Union (Christian Democratic Union)
  • CFM, Council of Foreign Ministers
  • CGIL, Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro (General Confederation of Labor in Italy)
  • Chanc, Chancellor
  • CHANCOM, Channel Command
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • CIC, Commander in Chief
  • CINC, Commander in Chief
  • CINCAAFCE, Commander in Chief, Allied Air Forces, Central Europe
  • CINC(AF)MED, Commander in Chief, Allied Forces, Mediterranean
  • CINCALFCE, Commander in Chief, Allied Land Forces, Central Europe
  • CINCEUR, Commander in Chief, Europe
  • CINCNELM, Commander in Chief, United States Naval Forces, Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean
  • CINCNorth, Commander in Chief, Allied Forces, Northern Europe
  • CINCSouth, Commander in Chief, Allied Forces, Southern Europe
  • CNO, Chief of Naval Operations
  • Coled, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Observer to the Interim Committee of the European Defense Community
  • Colux, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Chiefs of Mission meeting at Luxembourg, September 18–19, 1953
  • Contel, Consulate telegram
  • Cotel, Country Team telegram
  • CP, Communist Party
  • CPF, Communist Party of France
  • CSC, Coal and Steel Community
  • CSU, Christlich Soziale Union (Christian Social Union)
  • CY, calendar year
  • DA IN, Department of the Army incoming telegram
  • DefDept, Defense Department
  • DefMin, Defense Minister
  • Defto, series indicator for telegrams to the Department of Defense
  • Depcirtel, Department of State circular telegram
  • Dep(s), Deputy (Deputies)
  • Deptel, Department of State telegram
  • Depto, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Deputy Representative to the North Atlantic Council
  • DGB, Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (German Federation of Trade Unions)
  • DKV, Deutsche Kohleverein (German Central Coal Sales Agency)
  • DM, Deutsche Mark
  • DMS, Director of Mutual Security
  • DOD, Department of Defense
  • DP, Deutsche Partei (German Party)
  • DPB, Defense Production Board
  • DTG, date time group
  • Dulte, series indicator for telegrams from Secretary of State Dulles while away from Washington
  • EB, Executive Bureau
  • ECA, Economic Cooperation Administration
  • ECE, Economic Commission for Europe
  • ECSC, European Coal and Steel Community
  • EDC, European Defense Community
  • ED/IC, Interim Committee of the European Defense Community
  • Edcol, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Observer to the Interim Committee of the European Defense Community
  • EDF, European Defense Force
  • ED(S)T, eastern daylight (savings) time
  • EE, Office of Eastern European Affairs, Department of State
  • Emb, Embassy
  • Embtel, Embassy telegram
  • EPC, European Political Community
  • EPEK, Ethniki Prodeftiki Enosis Kendrou (National Progressive Union of the Center), Greek political coalition
  • EPU, European Payments Union
  • ERP, European Recovery Program
  • EUCOM, European Command
  • EUR, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • FDP, Freie Demokratische Partei (Free Democratic Party)
  • FE, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State; Far East
  • FEB, Financial and Economic Board
  • FedRep, Federal Republic of Germany
  • FinMin, Finance Minister
  • FM, Foreign Minister
  • FOA, Foreign Operations Administration
  • FOCE, Forces of Occupation, Central Europe
  • FonMin, Foreign Minister
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • FonSec, Foreign Secretary
  • FTT, Free Territory of Trieste
  • FY, fiscal year
  • FYI, for your information
  • G, Deputy Under Secretary of State
  • GA, General Assembly of the United Nations
  • GAF, Greek Air Force
  • GDR, German Democratic Republic
  • GER, Bureau (from 1953, Office) of German Affairs, Department of State
  • GFR, German Federal Republic
  • GMT, Greenwich Mean Time
  • GNP, gross national product
  • GPA, Office of German Political Affairs, Department of State
  • GTI, Office of Greek, Turkish, and Iranian Affairs, Department of State
  • H, Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations
  • HICOG, United States High Commissioner for Germany
  • HICOM, High Commission(er)
  • HICOM/P, paper of the Allied High Commission for Germany
  • HMG, His (Her) Majesty’s Government
  • IC, Indochina
  • ICJ, International Court of Justice
  • ILO, International Labor Organization
  • Indo, Indochina
  • infotel, information telegram
  • infra, infrastructure
  • Infra Comte, Infrastructure Committee
  • IRC, International Red Cross
  • IS, International Staff
  • ISA, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • KPD, Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (Communist Party of Germany)
  • L, Office of the Legal Adviser, Department of State
  • L/GER, Assistant Legal Adviser for German Affairs, Department of State
  • LibDef, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Air Attaché in Lisbon
  • LOC, lines of communication
  • LST, landing ship, tank
  • MAAG, Military Assistance Advisory Group
  • MC, Military Committee
  • MC–PC, Military Committee–Political Committee
  • MDA, Mutual Defense Assistance
  • MDAP, Mutual Defense Assistance Program
  • ME, Middle East
  • MEDO, Middle East Defense Organization
  • Mil Com(ite), Military Committee
  • MOG, meetings on Germany
  • MP, Member of Parliament
  • MRC, Military Representatives Committee
  • MRP, Mouvement Républicain Populaire (French Political Party)
  • MSA, Mutual Security Agency
  • MSA/G, Mutual Security Agency Mission in Greece
  • MSB, Military Security Board
  • msg, message
  • MSP, Mutual Security Program
  • MTB, motor-torpedo boat
  • mytel, my telegram
  • NA, North Atlantic
  • NAC, North Atlantic Council
  • NAT(O), North Atlantic Treaty (Organization)
  • NATO AR, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Annual Review
  • NATO IS (NATIS), North Atlantic Treaty Organization Information Service
  • NATOP, North Atlantic Treaty Organization preparatory paper
  • NCO, noncommissioned officer
  • NEA, 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
  • NNG, Netherlands New Guinea
  • noforn, no foreign nationals (distribution)
  • NPC, Nine-Power Conference
  • NPT, Nine-Power Talks
  • NRW, Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia)
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • OCB, Operations Coordinating Board
  • ODM, Office of Defense Mobilization
  • OEEC, Organization for European Economic Cooperation
  • OIR, Office of Intelligence Research, Department of State
  • OSD, Office of the Secretary of Defense
  • OSP, offshore procurement
  • ourtel, our telegram
  • P/POL, Public Affairs Advisory Staff, Bureau of Public Affairs, Department of State
  • PA/HO, Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, Department of State
  • PCI, Partito Communista Italiano (Italian Communist Party)
  • Perm Rep, permanent representative
  • Perm Under Sec, Permanent Under Secretary
  • PM, Prime Minister
  • PNM, Partito Nazionale Monarchico (National Monarchist Party)
  • POL, petroleum, oil, lubricants
  • Polto, series indicator for telegrams from the U.S. Special Representative in Europe (after June 12, 1953, the U.S. Permanent Representative on the North Atlantic Council)
  • POW, prisoner of war
  • PPS, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • PriMin, Prime Minister
  • PSC, Social Christian Party
  • PSDI, Partito Socialista Democratico Italiano (Italian Social Democratic Party)
  • RA, Office of European Regional Affairs, Department of State
  • RAF, Royal Air Force (British)
  • RCAF, Royal Canadian Air Force
  • reEmbtel, regarding Embassy telegram
  • reftel, reference telegram
  • Repto, series indicator for telegrams from the Special Representative in Europe to the Economic Cooperation Administration in Washington
  • RI, Republic of Indonesia
  • ROK, Republic of Korea
  • RPF, Rassemblement du Peuple Français (French Political Party)
  • S, Secretary of State
  • S/A, Ambassador at Large, Department of State
  • S/AE, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Atomic Energy Affairs
  • S/MSA, 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
  • SAC, Strategic Air Command
  • SACEUR, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
  • SACLANT, Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic
  • Safehaven, code name for a United States program begun in 1944 to block the flight of Axis capital assets to neutral countries
  • SCAPE, Supreme Commander, Allied Powers, Europe
  • SC, Security Council of the United Nations
  • SCEM, Signing Ceremonies in Europe, May
  • SCS, Screening and Costing Staff
  • SEA, Southeast Asia
  • SEATO, Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
  • SecGen, Secretary-General
  • Secto, series indicator for telegrams to the Department of State from the Secretary of State (or his delegation) at international conferences
  • SED, Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (Socialist Unity Party)
  • SFIO, Section Française de l’Internationale Ouvrière (French Socialist Party)
  • SG, Standing Group
  • SGLO, Standing Group Liaison Office(r)
  • SGM, Standing Group Memorandum
  • SHAPE, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe
  • Soc, Socialist
  • SOF, status of forces
  • SPD, Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (German Social Democratic Party)
  • SRE, Special Representative in Europe
  • TAC, Tactical Air Command
  • TCC, Temporary Council Committee
  • Tedul, series indicator for telegrams to Secretary of State Dulles while away from Washington
  • telecon, telephone (teletype) conference
  • TGG, Tripartite Group on Germany
  • Todep, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Deputy Representative to the North Atlantic Council
  • Topol, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council
  • Tosec, series indicator for telegrams from the Department of State to the Secretary of State (or his delegation) at international conferences
  • UDSR, Union Démocratique et Socialiste de la Résistance (French Political Party)
  • UN, United Nations
  • UNGA, United Nations General Assembly
  • UNRRA, United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
  • UP, United Press
  • ur, your
  • URAS, Union des Républicains et d’Action Sociale (French Political Party)
  • urtel, your telegram
  • USAREUR, united States Army, Europe
  • USCINCEUR, United States Commander in Chief, Europe
  • USDel, United States Delegation
  • USDel/TCC, United States Delegation on the Temporary Council Committee
  • USEUCOM, United States Army, European Command
  • USIA, United States Information Agency
  • USIE, United States Information and Educational Exchange Program
  • USLO, United States Liaison Office(r)
  • USRO, United States Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and European Regional Organizations
  • WE, Office of Western European Affairs, Department of State; Western Europe
  • WEU, Western European Union
  • WG, working group
  • Wise Men, Temporary Council Committee of the North Atlantic Council