Office of the Historian

List of Abbreviations and Symbols

  • AB, Airbase
  • ABN Bns, Airborne Battalions
  • ACSI, Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence
  • ACSI/DA, Assistant Chief of Staff of Intelligence, Department of the Army
  • AC&W, Aircraft Control and Warning
  • ADs, propeller-driven aircraft
  • AF, Air Force
  • AFCIN, Air Force Chief of Intelligence
  • AFL, Armed Forces of Laos
  • AIRA, Air Attaché
  • ALUSNA, United States Naval Attaché
  • Am, American
  • Amb, Ambassador
  • AN/GRC, radio teletypewriter
  • AN/PRC, receiver/transmitter radio
  • ANL, Armée Nationale du Lao (Lao National Army)
  • AP, Associated Press
  • ARMA, Army Attaché
  • ArmAtt, Army Attaché
  • ARVN, Army of the Republic of Vietnam
  • ASAP, as soon as possible
  • ASD/ISA, Assistant Secretary of Defense, International Security Affairs
  • BAR, Browning automatic rifle
  • BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation
  • BNA, Office of British Common wealth and Northern European Affairs, Department of State
  • Bn(s), Battalion(s)
  • Br., British
  • CACG, Collateral Activities Coordinating Group
  • cal, caliber
  • CAMG, Civil Affairs and Military Government
  • CAP, Combined Action Platoon/Capital
  • CCS, Combined Chiefs of Staff
  • CENTO, Central Treaty Organization
  • CG, Civil Guard
  • ChiComs, Chinese Communists
  • ChiNats, Chinese Nationalists
  • CHMAAG, Chief, Military Assistance Advisory Group
  • CHPEO, Chief, Programs Evaluation Office (Laos)
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • CID, Committee for Industrial Development
  • CINCPAC, Commander in Chief, Pacific
  • CINCPACAF, Commander in Chief, Pacific Air Force
  • CINCPACFLT, Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet
  • CINCPAC PolAd, Commander in Chief, Pacific’s Political Adviser
  • CINCPACREPHIL, Commander in Chief, Pacific’s Representative in the Philippines
  • CINCUSARPAC, Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Pacific
  • CIP, Commercial Import Program/Counter Insurgency Plan
  • circ, circular
  • civ, civilians
  • Cmdr MATS, Commander, Military Air Transport Service
  • Cmdr PACAF, Commander, Pacific Air Force
  • Cmdr SAC, Commander, Strategic Air Command
  • Cmdt, Commandant
  • CNO, Chief of Naval Operations
  • CO, Commissioned Officer/Commanding Officer
  • CO ABN, Commander Airborne Battalion
  • CONUS, Continental United States
  • CP, Command Post
  • CPB, Combined Planning Board
  • CPR, Chinese People’s Republic
  • CR, Citizens Rally
  • C/S, CS, Chief of Staff
  • CSAM, Chief of Staff Army Memorandum
  • C.T., Country Team
  • CVN, Central Vietnam
  • CVTC, Vietnamese Confederation of Christian Workers
  • CY, Calendar Year
  • D/A, DA, Department of the Army
  • DCI, Director of Central Intelligence
  • Def, Defense
  • Depcirtel, Department of State circular telegram
  • Deptel, Department of State telegram
  • Div, Division
  • DLF, Development Loan Fund Corporation
  • DOD, Department of Defense
  • DOD/ISA, International Security Affairs, Department of Defense
  • DRV, Democratic Republic of Vietnam
  • DS, Defense Support
  • DTG, Date Time Group
  • ECAFE, Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East
  • Emb, Embassy
  • EmbOff, Embassy Officer
  • Embtel, Embassy telegram
  • Embdes, Embassy despatch
  • ETD, estimated time of departure
  • EUR/BNA, Office of British Commonwealth and Northern European Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • FAL, Forces d’Armée de Laos (Royal Armed Forces of Laos)
  • FA’s, Farmers’ Associations
  • FARK, Forces des Armées Royales Khmer (Royal Cambodian Armed Forces)
  • FBIS, Foreign Broadcast Information Service
  • FE, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • FE/P, Public Affairs Adviser, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • FE/VN, Officer in Charge of Vietnam Affairs, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • FER, Far East Region, Office of Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
  • FOB, free on board
  • FRC, Federal Records Center
  • FSOs, Foreign Service Officers
  • FY, Fiscal Year
  • FYI, for your information
  • G, Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
  • G–2, Army general staff section dealing with intelligence at the divisional level or higher
  • G–3, Army general staff section dealing with opertions and training at the divisional or higher level
  • G–5, Army general staff section dealing with civil affairs at the divisional level or higher
  • G/PM, Special Assistant for Politico-Military Affairs, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Department of State
  • GAO, General Accounting Office
  • GHQ, General Headquarters
  • GOC, Government of Ceylon
  • GOI, Government of India
  • GS, General Staff
  • GTI, Office of Greek, Turkish, and Iranian Affairs, Bureau of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, Department of State
  • GUS, Government of United States
  • GVN, Government of Vietnam
  • GVNL, Government of Vietnam (electoral) List
  • H, hours
  • HMB, Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan (People’s Liberation Army), a military force affiliated with the Philippine Communist Party
  • HQ, Headquarters
  • Huk, see HMB
  • IBM, International Business Machines
  • IBRD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • ICA, International Cooperation Administration
  • ICA/W, International Cooperation Administration/Washington
  • Icato, series indictor for telegrams originating with the International Cooperation Administration
  • ICC, International Supervisory and Control Commission
  • IDC, International Development Corportion
  • IES, International Educational Exchange Service
  • ILO, International Labor Organization
  • IMF, International Monetary Fund
  • inf regts, infantry regiments
  • InfoMin, Information Minister
  • IPS, International Program Service
  • ISA, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (International Security Affairs)
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • JCSM, Joint Chiefs of Staff Memorandum
  • JOO, Joint Chiefs of Staff document indicator.
  • JSAD, Joint Strategic Analysis Division of the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • km, kilometers
  • KMT, Kuomintang
  • KW, kilowatt
  • L/FE, Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • MAAG, Military Assistance Advisory Group
  • MAGCH–CH, series indicator for telegrams from the Chief of the Military Assistance Advisory Group
  • MAGCH–CS, series indicator for telegrams from the Chief of Staff of the Military Assistance Advisory Group
  • MAGCH–CT, series indicator for telegrams from the Chief of Training of the Military Assistance Advisory Group
  • MAGCH–SA, series indicator for telegrams from the Senior Advisers in the Military Assistance Advisory Group
  • MAP, Military Aid Program/Military Assistance Program
  • MC, Memorandum of Conversation
  • MemCon, Memorandum of Conversation
  • Mil Att, Military Attaché
  • MNR, Movement for National Revolution
  • MR, Military Region
  • M/S, Motor Ship
  • msg, message
  • MSP, Mutual Security Program
  • MSU, Michigan State University
  • MSUG, Michigan State University Group
  • mytel, my telegram
  • NA, Office of Northeast Asian Affairs, Department of State
  • NavAtt, Naval Attaché
  • NBC, National Broadcasting Corporation
  • NCO, noncommissioned officer
  • NIA, National Intelligence Assessment
  • NIE, National Intelligence Estimate
  • NLHX, NLHZ, Neo Lao Hat Xat (Zat)
  • Noforn, no foreign (distribution)
  • NPSS, National Police and Security Service Government of Vietnam civilian intelligence agency
  • NRM, National Revolutionary Movement
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • O’s, Officers
  • OASD/ISA, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, International Security Affairs
  • OCB, Operations Coordinating Board
  • OCS, Office of the Chief of Staff, Department of the Army
  • OSD, Office of the Secretary of Defense
  • OSD/ISA, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Interntional Security Affairs
  • OSO, Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Special Operations
  • PAs, procurement authorizations
  • PACOM, Pacific Command
  • PA/HO, Office of The Historian, Department of State
  • PAO, Public Affairs Officer
  • PAR, parachute
  • PAVN, People’s Army of (North) Vietnam
  • PC/PAF, Philippine Constabulary/Philippine Armed Forces
  • PEO, Programs Evaluation Office
  • PL, Public Law
  • POI, Program of Instructions
  • POL, petroleum, oil, lubricants
  • PsyWar, Psychological Warfare
  • PTT, Post, Telephone and Telegraph
  • PX, Post Exchange
  • reDeptel, reference Department telegram
  • reftel, reference telegram
  • regt, regiment
  • RF, Radio Finding
  • RG, Record Group
  • RKG, Royal Khmer Government
  • RLG, Royal Lao Government
  • ROK, Republic of Korea
  • ROKG, Republic of Korea Government
  • rptd, repeated
  • RTG, Royal Thai Government
  • RVNAF, Republic of Vietnam’s Armed Forces
  • RWP, Revolutionary Workers’ Party (Can Lao)
  • S–2, Army staff section dealing with intelligence at brigade level or below
  • S–3, Army staff section dealing with operations and training at brigade level or below
  • S/P, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • S/S, The Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • SDC, Self Defense Corps
  • SEA, Office of Southeast Asian Affairs, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • SEA/E, Officer in Charge Economic Affairs, Office of Southeast Asian Affairs, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • SEATO, Southeast Asian Treaty Organization
  • SecState, Secretary of State
  • Secto, series indicator for telegrams from the Secretary of State (or his delegation) at international conferences
  • SEPES, Service des Etudes Politiques et Sociales (Service of Political and Social Studies)
  • SF, Special Forces
  • SGN, series indicator for back channel telegrams from the Military Assistance Advisory Group in Vietnam
  • SITREP, Situation Report
  • SMG, submachine gun
  • SNIE, Special National Intelligence Estimate
  • SOA, Office of South Asian Affairs, Bureau of Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs, Department of State
  • sqdn, squadron
  • SVN, South Vietnam
  • TC, Technical Cooperation
  • TDY, Temporary Duty
  • telecom, telephonic communications
  • TERM, Temporary Equipment Recovery Mission
  • TF, Task Force
  • TOE (T.O.&E.), Table of Organization and Equipment
  • Toica, series indicator for telegrams to the International Cooperation Administration
  • TRIM, Training Relations Instruction Mission
  • TWXs, teletypewriter exchange(s)
  • U/MSC, Deputy Coordinator for Mutual Security in the Office of the Under Secretary of State
  • U/PR, Protocol Staff in the Office of the Under Secretary of State
  • UN, United Nations
  • Unn, unnumbered
  • UNTAA, United Nations Technical Assistance Administration
  • UNTAB, United Nations Techical Assistance Board
  • UPI, United Press International
  • USA, United States Army
  • USAF, United States Air Force
  • USARMA, United States Army Attaché
  • USARPAC, United States Army, Pacific
  • USEmb, United States Embassy
  • USG, United States Government
  • USIA, United States Information Agency
  • USIB, United States Intelligence Board
  • USIS, United States Information Service
  • USMC, United States Marine Corps
  • USN, United States Navy
  • USOM, United States Operations Mission
  • USSR, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
  • UST, United States Treaties and Other International Agreements
  • VBI, Vietnamese Bureau of Investigation
  • VC, Viet Cong
  • VM, Viet Minh
  • VN, Vietnam, Vietnamese
  • VNAF, Vietnamese Air Force/Vietnamese National Air Force
  • VNQDD, Viet Nam Quoc Dan Dung (National Party of Vietnam)
  • VOA, Voice of America
  • VOR, variable omni-range (direction finding)
  • W/MSC, Special Assistant for Mutual Security Coordination, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • WE, Office of Western European Affairs, Department of State
  • Weeka, weekly, interagency, summary analysis from United States diplomatic missions
  • wpns, weapons