Office of the Historian

List of Abbreviations and Symbols

Editor’s note. This list does not include standard abbreviations in common usage and those abbreviations and contractions which, although uncommon, are understandable from the context.

  • ACA, Allied Control Authority
  • AEC, Atomic Energy Commission
  • AGO, American Government officer (official)
  • AHC, Allied High Commission
  • Amb, Ambassador
  • ARQ, Annual Review Questionnaire (NATO)
  • BASC, Berlin Air Safety Center
  • BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation
  • BdD, Bund der Deutschen (Federation of Germans)
  • BHE, Bund der Heimatvertriebenen und Entrechteten (League of Expellees and Disenfranchised)
  • BNA, Office of British Commonwealth and Northern European Affairs, Department of State
  • B/P, balance of payments
  • Br, British
  • C, Counselor of the Department of State
  • CA, circular airgram
  • CDU, Christlich-Demokratische Union (Christian-Democratic Union)
  • CF/Doc, conference document
  • CG USAREUR, Commanding General, United States Army, Europe
  • CG USFA, Commanding General, United States Forces, Austria
  • Chanc, Chancellor
  • ChiComs, Chinese Communists
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • cif, cost, insurance, freight
  • COCOM, Coordinating Committee of the Paris Consultative Group of nations working to control strategic exports to Communist countries
  • CPR, Chinese People’s Republic
  • CSC, Coal and Steel Community
  • CSU, Christlich-Soziale Union (Christian Social Union)
  • DA, Department of the Army
  • DDSG, Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesell-schaft (Danube Shipping Company)
  • del, delegation
  • Dento, series indicator for telegrams from the Denver White House
  • Dept, Department
  • Deptel, Department of State telegram
  • DMW, Deutschemark West (West German Mark)
  • DP, displaced person
  • DRP, Deutsche Reichs Partei (German Reich Party)
  • Dulte, series indicator for telegrams from Secretary of State Dulles while away from Washington
  • DWG, Disarmament Working Group
  • E, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • EAD, Eastern Affairs Division
  • ECE, Economic Commission for Europe
  • ECOSOC, United Nations Economic and Social Council
  • EDC, European Defense Community
  • EE, Office of Eastern European Affairs, Department of State
  • Embtel, Embassy telegram
  • EPU, European Payments Union
  • EUCOM, European Command
  • EUR, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • Euratom, European Atomic Energy Community
  • EW, East-West
  • ExIm, Export-Import Bank
  • FBIS, Foreign Broadcast Information Service
  • FCDA, Federal Civil Defense Authority
  • FDP, Freie Demokratische Partei (Free Democratic Party)
  • FE, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • FedRep, Federal Republic of Germany
  • FM, Foreign Minister
  • FOA, Foreign Operations Administration
  • fob, free on board
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • for, foreign
  • ForMin, Foreign Minister
  • FPM, Four-Power Meeting
  • Fr, French
  • FSS, Foreign Service Staff
  • FVP, Freie Volks Partei (Free People’s Party)
  • FY, fiscal year
  • FYI, for your information
  • GA, United Nations General Assembly
  • GARIOA, Government and Relief in Occupied Areas
  • GATT, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
  • GDR, German Democratic Republic
  • GER, Office of German Affairs, Department of State
  • Ger, German
  • GerDel, German Delegation
  • GFR, German Federal Republic
  • GNP, gross national product
  • GOI, Government of Italy
  • GPA, Office of German Political Affairs, Department of State
  • HEW, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
  • HICOG, High Commission(er) for Germany
  • HICOM, High Commission(er)
  • HMG, Her Majesty’s Government
  • IBRD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • ICA, International Cooperation Administration
  • ICAO, International Civil Aviation Organization
  • ICBM, intercontinental ballistic missile
  • ID, identification document
  • IFEMA, International Fund for Equipment and Mutual Aid
  • ILO, International Labor Organization
  • INR, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
  • IRBM, intermediate-range ballistic missile
  • ISA, International Security Affairs, Department of Defense
  • IZT, interzonal trade
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • KPD, Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (Communist Party of Germany)
  • KVP, Kasernierte Volks Polizei (Garrisoned People’s Police)
  • L/GER, Assistant Legal Adviser for German Affairs, Department of State
  • loc, line of communication
  • MAP, Military (Mutual) Assistance Program
  • MC, memorandum of conversation
  • MDAP, Mutual Defense Assistance Program
  • MDay, mobilization day
  • MFM/Doc, Meeting of Foreign Ministers, Document
  • MFM/Doc/RD, Meeting of Foreign Ministers, Document, Record of Decision
  • MFN, most favored nation
  • MIG, Mikoyan i Gurevich (acronym for Soviet aircraft designed by A.I. Mikoyan and M.I. Gurevich)
  • mil, military
  • MinInt, Minister of Interior
  • Min, Minister
  • mytel, my telegram
  • NAC, North Atlantic Council
  • NAT(O), North Atlantic Treaty (Organization)
  • niact, night action, telegram indicator requiring attention by the recipient at any hour of the day or night
  • NIE, National Intelligence Estimate
  • NRW, Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia)
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • OAS, Organization of American States
  • OCB, Operations Coordinating Board
  • OEEC, Organization for European Economic Cooperation
  • OSA, Ob’edinennye Shtaty Ameriki (United States of America)
  • OSD, Office of the Secretary of Defense
  • OSP, offshore procurement
  • OTC, Organization of Trade Cooperation
  • P, series indicator for telegrams from the Commander in Chief of the United States Forces in Austria
  • PL, Public Law
  • PMCG(SF)MC, preparations for the meeting of the Chiefs of Government (San Francisco), memorandum of conversation
  • Pol Dir, Political Director
  • PermRep, Permanent Representative
  • Polto, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council
  • POM B, Preparations for the October Meeting of Foreign Ministers, Background Paper
  • POM D, Preparations for the October Meeting of Foreign Ministers, Document
  • POM(NY)(Wash) MC, Preparations for the October Meeting of Foreign Ministers (New York) (Washington), Memorandum of Conversation
  • POW (PW), prisoner of war
  • RA, Office of European Regional Affairs, Department of State
  • R Day, the date of final ratification of the Austrian State Treaty
  • reftel, reference telegram
  • rep, representative
  • RIAS, Rundfunk im Amerikanischen Sektor (Radio in the American Sector of Berlin)
  • RRA, Refugee Relief Act of 1953
  • S/MSA, Special Assistant for Mutual Security Affairs, Department of State
  • S/P, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • S/S, Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • S/S–RO, Executive Secretariat, Reports and Operations Staff, Department of State
  • SAC, Strategic Air Command
  • SACEUR, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
  • SCA, Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs, Department of State
  • SecGen, Secretary General
  • Secto, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Delegation at Foreign Ministers, Heads of Government, and North Atlantic Council meetings
  • SED, Sozialistiche Einheitspartei Deutschlands (Socialist Unity Party of Germany)
  • SHAPE, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe
  • SOF, status of forces
  • Sov, Soviet
  • SPD, Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (Social Democratic Party of Germany)
  • SX, series indicator for telegrams from the Commander in Chief, United States Army, Europe
  • Tedul, series indicator for telegrams to Secretary of State Dulles while away from Washington
  • TO&E, table of organization and equipment
  • Toden, series indicator for telegrams to the Denver White House
  • Toget, telegrams series indicator for telegrams to President Eisenhower while at Gettysburg
  • UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
  • USAF(E), United States Air Force (Europe)
  • USAREUR, United States Army, Europe
  • USARIT, United States Army, Italy
  • US Ber, United States Mission at Berlin
  • USCINCEUR, United States Commander in Chief, Europe
  • USCMB, United States Command, Berlin
  • USCOB, United States Command, Berlin
  • USCom, United States Command
  • USDel, United States Delegation
  • USEP, United States Escapee Program
  • USFA, United States Forces Austria
  • USIA, United States Information Agency
  • USIA, Upravlenye Sovetskogo Imushchestva v Avstrii (Administration of Soviet Property in Austria)
  • US OD, United States Order of the Day
  • USRO, United States Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and European Regional Organizations
  • VOA, Voice of America
  • Vopo, Volkspolizei (People’s police)
  • WE, Office of Western European Affairs, Department of State
  • WEU, Western European Union
  • WFTU, World Federation of Trade Unions
  • WG, working group
  • WHO, World Health Organization
  • WPC, World Peace Council
  • ZI, zone of the interior