Office of the Historian

List of Abbreviations

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, airgram
  • AA, anti-aircraft
  • Achdut Haavoda, Israeli Socialist Labor Party
  • ACSP, Arab Collective Security Pact
  • AFSC, American Friends Service Committee
  • AKA, Attack Cargo Vessel
  • AL, Arab League or Arab Legion (Transjordon)
  • ALCSP, Arab League Collective Security Pact
  • ALO, series indicator for military telegrams
  • AmEmb, American Embassy
  • AMS, Agricultural Marketing Services, Department of Agriculture
  • AP, Associated Press; Atlantic Pact
  • ARA, Bureau of Inter–American Affairs, Department of State
  • ARAMCO, Arabian–American Oil Company
  • ARMATT, Army Attaché
  • ASRP, Arab Socialist Resurectionist Party (Syrian)
  • B/D, barrels of petroleum per day
  • BG,David Ben Gurion
  • BIS, Bank of International Settlements
  • BJSM, British Joint Services Mission or British Joint Staff Mission
  • BMEO, British Middle East Office
  • BNA, Office of British Commonwealth and Northern European Affairs, Department of State
  • BSFMC, Bilateral San Francisco Memorandum of Conversation
  • CA, circular airgram
  • CARE, Cooperative for American Remittances to Everywhere
  • CASU, Cooperative Association of Suez Canal Users
  • CCS, Combined Chiefs of Staff
  • CE, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army; Central Europe; Council of Europe; Division of Central European Affairs, Department of State
  • CF, Conference File
  • CHMAAG, Chief, Military Assistance Advisory Group
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • CIA/LC, Central Intelligence Agency, Legislative Counsel
  • CINCAL, Commander in Chief, Alaska
  • CINCARIB, Commander in Chief, Caribbean
  • CINCFE, Commander in Chief, Far East
  • CINCLANT, Commander in Chief, Armed Forces, Atlantic
  • CINCNELM, Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean
  • CINCONAD, Commander in Chief, Continental Air Defense Command
  • CINCPAC, Commander in Chief, Pacific
  • CINCSAC, Commander in Chief, Strategic Air Command
  • CINCUSAFE, Commander in Chief, United States Air Force, Europe
  • CINCUSAREUR, Commander in Chief, United States Army in Europe
  • circ, circular telegram
  • cirtel, circular telegram
  • COM, communications
  • comite, committee
  • CONAD, Continental Air Defense Command
  • CONADR, Continental Air Defense Command Regulation
  • ConGen, Consulate General
  • Contel, Consulate telegram
  • CRO, Commonwealth Relations Office
  • CS, Chief of Staff
  • CSA, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army
  • CSAFM, Chief of Staff, Air Force Memorandum
  • CSS, Commodity Stabilization Service, Department of Agriculture
  • CVA, Attack Aircraft Carrier
  • CVS, Anti–Submarine Warfare Aircraft Carrier
  • CX, Naval Reserve Captain, Captain, or Commander
  • CZ, Canal Zone
  • DA, Development Assistance
  • DCI, Director of Central Intelligence
  • DD, Destroyer
  • DEFREPAMA, Defense Representative Army Attaché
  • Del, Delegation
  • Delga, series indicator for telegrams from the U.S. Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly; also used to refer to the U.S. Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
  • Dento, series indicator for telegrams sent from the Denver White House
  • Depcirgram, Department of State circular airgram
  • Depcirtel, Department of State circular telegram
  • Deptel, Department of State telegram
  • desp, despatch
  • DEW, Distant Early Warning
  • DIB, Defense Intelligence Briefing
  • DirGen, Director General
  • DL, Demarcation Line
  • DRN, Division of Research for the Near East, South Asia, and Africa, Department of State
  • DRS, Division of Research for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Department of State
  • DRW, Division of Research for Western Europe, Department of State
  • Dulte, series indicator for telegrams from Secretary of State Dulles while away from Washington
  • DZ, Demilitarized Zone
  • E, Bureau of Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • EARIS, Egyptian–American Rural Improvement Service
  • ECA, Economic Cooperation Administration
  • E–I, Egyptian–Israeli
  • EIMAC, Egyptian–Israeli Mixed Armistice Commission
  • E.J.,Eric Johnston
  • Embdesp, Embassy despatch
  • Embtel, Embassy telegram
  • ES, Emergency Session of the United Nations General Assembly
  • ES–I, First Emergency Session of the United Nations General Assembly
  • ESS, Egyptian-Syrian-Saudi Pact
  • ETW,Eden Talks, Washington
  • EUR, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EUR/RA, Office of European Regional Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EURATOM, European Atomic Energy Community
  • EXIM Bank/EX–IM, Export–Import Bank
  • FAF, French Air Force
  • FAO, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations
  • FAS, Foreign Agricultural Service, Department of Agriculture
  • FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • FBIS, Foreign Broadcast Information Service
  • FE, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • FinAtt, Financial Attaché
  • FLO, Foreign Liaison Office
  • FN, Division of Financial Affairs, Department of State
  • F.O., Foreign Office
  • FOA, Foreign Operations Administration
  • FonMin, Foreign Minister; Foreign Ministry
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • FPSC, Foreign Petroleum Supply Committee
  • FRC, Foreign Relations Committee of the U.S. Senate
  • FSD, Division of Fuels, Department of State
  • FTC, Federal Trade Commission
  • FY, fiscal year
  • FYI, for your information
  • G, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of State
  • G–2, Army (or Marine) general staff section dealing with intelligence at the divisional level or higher
  • GA, United Nations General Assembly
  • GAA, General Armistice Agreement
  • Gadel, series indicator for telegrams to the U.S. Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
  • GHQ, General Headquarters
  • GMT, Greenwich mean time
  • GOE, Government of Egypt
  • GOI, Government of Israel; Government of India
  • GOL, Government of Lebanon
  • GOS, Government of Syria
  • GSA, General Services Administration
  • H, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations, Department of State
  • Herut (Tenuat Haherut), Israeli political party
  • HICOM, High Commission(er)
  • Histradut, General Federation of Jewish Labor in Israel
  • HJK, Hashemite Jordanian Kingdom
  • HJK–IMAC, Jordanian–Israeli Mixed Armistice Commission
  • HKJ, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
  • HM, His/Her Majesty
  • HMG, His/Her Majesty’s Government
  • HQ, Headquarters
  • IAC, Intelligence Advisory Committee
  • IBRD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • IC, Division of International Conferences, Department of State
  • ICA, International Cooperation Administration
  • ICA/W, International Cooperation Administration, Washington
  • ICAO, International Civil Aviation Organization
  • ICJ, International Court of Justice
  • IDAB, International Development Advisory Board
  • IDF, Israeli Defense Forces
  • IDF–FLO, Israel Defense Force-Foreign Liaison Office
  • I–E, Israeli–Egyptian
  • IEG, Imperial Ethiopian Government
  • IFC, International Finance Corporation
  • IG, Israeli Government
  • IIS, Israeli Intelligence Service
  • IMF, International Monetary Fund
  • INR, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
  • INS, International News Service
  • IO, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State
  • IO/OES, Office of International Economic and Social Affairs, Department of State
  • IO/OIA, Office of International Administration, Department of State
  • IPC, Iraq Petroleum Company
  • IRD, International Resources Division, Department of State
  • ISA, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs or the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs; also Office of International Security Affairs, Department of Defense
  • ISMAC, Israeli–Syrian Mixed Armistice Commission
  • JCS, Joint Chief of Staff
  • Jlem, Jerusalem
  • JSPC, Joint Strategic Plans Committee of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • JSSC, Joint Strategic Survey Committee
  • Jugs, Yugoslavs
  • JVP, Jordan Valley Plan; Jordan Valley Proposal
  • K, kilometer
  • kw, kilowatt
  • L, Office of the Legal Adviser, Department of State
  • L/E, Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • L/NEA, Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs, Department of State
  • LE, Egyptian pounds
  • Leb, Lebanon
  • Lon, London
  • MA, Military Attaché
  • MAAC, Mutual Assistance Advisory Committee
  • MAAG, Military Assistance Advisory Group
  • MAC, Mixed Armistice Commission
  • MAG, Military Advisory Group
  • Mapai, Israeli Labor Party
  • Mapam, Israreli United Workers’ Party
  • MATS, Military Air Transport Service
  • MC, Memorandum of Conversation; Office of Munitions Control, Department of State
  • MCM, Milliard Cubic Meters
  • MDA, Mutual Defense Assistance
  • MDAP, Mutual Defense Assistance Program
  • ME, Middle East
  • MEEC, Middle East Emergency Committee
  • MEPPG, Middle East Policy Planning Group
  • MinDef, Minister or Ministry of Defense
  • MinFonAff, Minister or Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • MP, Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)
  • MSA, Mutual Security Agency/Act/ Assistance
  • MSP, Mutual Security Program
  • MSTS, Military Sea Transport Service
  • mytel, my telegram
  • NAC, North Atlantic Council; National Advisory Council
  • NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • NE, Near East; Office of Near Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • NEA, Near East and Africa; Bureau of Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs, Department of State
  • NEACC, Near East Arms Coordinating Committee
  • NH, Note to Holders
  • Niact, communications indicator requiring attention by the recipient at any hour of the day or night
  • NIC, National Indications Center
  • NIE, National Intelligence Estimate
  • Noforn, not releasable to foreign nationals
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • NUP, National Unionist Party of Sudan
  • NZ, New Zealand
  • O, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Administration
  • OCB, Operations Coordinating Board
  • ODM, Office of Defense Mobilization
  • OEEC, Organization for European Economic Cooperation
  • OFD, Office of Financial and Development Policy, Department of State
  • ONE, Office of National Estimates
  • ORM, Office of Refugee and Migration Affairs, Department of State
  • OSD, Office of the Secretary of Defense
  • OSP, Offshore Procurement
  • PAO, Public Affairs Officer
  • PCC, Palestine Conciliation Commission
  • PIO, Public Information Officer
  • PL, Public Law
  • PLG, Paris Liaison Group
  • PM, Prime Minister
  • PMCG (NY), preparations for the Meeting of the Chiefs of Government (New York)
  • POL, petroleum, oil, and lubricants
  • Polto, series indicator for telegrams from the Office of the United States Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council to the Department of State
  • POM (NY) MC, preparations for the October Meetings (of the Foreign Ministers) (New York) Memorandum of Conversation
  • PPS, Parti Populaire Syrien, Syrian National Party
  • PriMin, Prime Minister
  • PTS, proposed talks with the Soviets
  • R, Office of the Special Assistant for Intelligence, Department of State
  • R&D, Research and Development
  • RA, Office of European Regional Affairs, Department of State
  • RAF, Royal Air Force
  • RCC, Revolutionary Command Council of Egypt
  • RCT, Regimental Combat Team
  • reftel, reference telegram
  • Res, Resolution
  • RGT, Army Regimental Combat Team
  • RLG, Rome Liaison Group
  • RMA, Reimbursable Military Assistance
  • RO, Reports and Operations Staff of the Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • S, Office of the Secretary of State
  • S/P, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • S/PV, Security Council/Procès–Verbal
  • S/S, Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • S/S–RO, Reports and Operations Staff, Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • SA, Saudi Arabia
  • SAC, Strategic Air Command
  • SAG, Saudi Arabian Government
  • SC, United Nations Security Council
  • SCUA, Suez Canal Users Association
  • SEA, Southeast Asia
  • SEATO, South East Asia Treaty Organization
  • Sec, Secretary
  • Secto, series indicator for telegrams from the Secretary of State (or his delegation) at international conferences
  • Secy, Secretary
  • SFIO, Sociéte Française de l’Internationale Ouvrière (French Society of International Socialists)
  • SHAPE, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe
  • SNIE, Special National Intelligence Estimate
  • SOCONY, Standard Oil Company of New York
  • SOSUS, Sound Surveillance Underwater System
  • SPC, Special Political Committee of the U.N. General Assembly
  • SPD, Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (German Social Democratic Party)
  • SS, submarine
  • SY, Division of Security, Department of State
  • SYG, Secretary–General
  • T/O & E, Table of Organization and Equipment
  • TAPLINE, Trans–Arabian Pipeline Company
  • TC, Truce Commission (in Palestine); United Nations Trusteeship Council
  • Tedul, series indicator for telegrams to Secretary of State Dulles while away from Washington
  • Toden, series indicator for telegrams sent to the Denver White House
  • Tosec, series indicator for telegrams from the Department of State to the Secretary of State (or his delegation) at international conferences
  • TS, Top Secret
  • TSO, Truce Supervisory Organization (United Nations)
  • TVA, Tennessee Valley Authority
  • TWA, Trans World Airlines
  • U, Office of the Under Secretary of State
  • U/MSA, Office of the Special Assistant for Mutual Security Affairs, Department of State
  • U/PR, Office of the Chief of Protocol, Department of State
  • UJA, United Jewish Appeal
  • UK, United Kingdom
  • UKG, United Kingdom Government
  • Umma, Umma (Independence) Party of Sudan
  • UN, United Nations
  • UNA, Office of United Nations Affairs, Department of State
  • UNGA, United Nations General Assembly
  • UNMIS, United Nations Mission
  • UNP, Office of United Nations Political and Security Affairs, Department of State
  • UNRRA, United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
  • UNRWA, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine and the Near East
  • UNSC, United Nations Security Council
  • UNSCOP, U.N. Special Committee on Palestine
  • UNTS, United Nations Truce Supervisor; United Nations Treaty Series
  • UNTSO, United Nations Truce Supervisory Organization
  • UNSYG, Secretary–General of the United Nations
  • UP, United Press
  • urtel, your telegram
  • USA, United States Army
  • USAF, United States Air Force
  • USAREUR, United States Army, Europe
  • USARMA, United States Army Attaché
  • USCINCEUR, United States Commander in Chief, Europe
  • USDel, U.S. delegation
  • USG, United States Government
  • USGADel, United States Delegation at the United Nations
  • USIA, United States Infomation Agency
  • USIS, United States Information Service
  • USLO, United States Liaison Officer
  • USMC, United States Marine Corps
  • USNMR, United States National Military Representatiave to Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe
  • USOM, United States Operations Mission
  • USRO, United States Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and European Regional Organizations
  • USSR, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
  • USUN, United States Mission at the United Nations
  • Wafd, Egypt’s principal political party
  • WE, Western Europe; Office of Western European Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • WFTU (WFTCU), World Federation of Trade Unions
  • WH, White House
  • ZI, Zone of Interior