Office of the Historian

Abbreviations and Terms

  • ABM, anti-ballistic missile
  • ACA, Allied Control Authority
  • ACDA, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
  • AG, Attorney General
  • AK, Allied Kommandatura
  • ASAP, as soon as possible
  • BASC, Berlin Air Safety Center
  • BTF, Berlin Task Force
  • CDU, Christlich-Demokratische Union (Christian Democratic Union)
  • CEMA, Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
  • CES, Conference on European Security
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • CINC, Commander in Chief
  • CINCEUR, Commander in Chief, Europe
  • CINCUSAFE, Commander in Chief, US Air Force, Europe
  • CINCUSEUR, Commander in Chief, US Army, Europe
  • COMECON, Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
  • CPSU, Communist Party of the Soviet Union
  • CSU, Christlich-Soziale Union (Christian Social Union)
  • CSCE, Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe
  • DCM, Deputy Chief of Mission
  • DDR, Deutsche Demokratische Republik (German Democratic Republic)
  • Deptel, Department of State telegram
  • DKP, Deutsche Kommunistische Partei (German Communist Party)
  • DM, Deutsche Mark (German mark)
  • DOD, Department of Defense
  • DPG, Defense Planning Group
  • EC, European Community
  • EEC, European Economic Community
  • Emboff, Embassy officer
  • Embtel, Embassy telegram
  • ESC, European Security Conference
  • EUR, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EUR/GER, Office of the Country Director for Germany, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EUR/RPM, Office of the Director for NATO and Atlantic Political-Military Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EUR/SOV, Office of Soviet Union Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • Exdis, exclusive distribution
  • FAZ, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
  • FBIS, Foreign Broadcast Information Service
  • FDP, Freie Demokratische Partei (Free Democratic Party)
  • FRG, Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)
  • GDR, German Democratic Republic (East Germany)
  • GNP, gross national product
  • HAK, Henry Alfred Kissinger
  • HK, Henry Kissinger
  • IG, interagency (interdepartmental) group
  • IG/EUR, Interdepartmental Group for European Affairs
  • INR, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
  • IZT, inter-zonal trade
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • JUSOs, Jung Sozialisten (Young Socialists)
  • KGB, Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti (State Security Committee)
  • L, Office of the Legal Adviser, Department of State
  • L/EUR, Assistant Legal Adviser for European Affairs, Department of State
  • LS, Language Services, Department of State
  • MBFR, Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions
  • Memcon, memorandum of conversation
  • MFN, Most Favored Nation
  • MIRV, multiple independently-targetable re-entry vehicle
  • NAC, North Atlantic Council
  • NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • NPD, Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands (National Democratic Party of [West] Germany)
  • NPG, Nuclear Planning Group
  • NPT, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
  • NSAM, National Security Action Memorandum
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • NSDM, National Security Decision Memorandum
  • NSSM, National Security Study Memorandum
  • OAS, Organization of American States
  • OCA, Office of Coordinator and Advisor
  • OMB, Office of Management and Budget
  • ONI, Office of Naval Intelligence
  • Polto, series indicator for telegram from the Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and European Regional Organizations
  • PRC, People’s Republic of China
  • Reftel, reference telegram
  • S, Office of the Secretary, Department of State
  • S/S, Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • SACEUR, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
  • SALT, Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
  • SAM, surface-to-air missile
  • SEA, Southeast Asia
  • SED, Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (Socialist Unity Party of [East] Germany)
  • Secto, series indicator for telegrams from the Secretary of State while away from Washington
  • Septel, separate telegram
  • SPD, Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (Social Democratic Party of [West] Germany)
  • SRG, Senior Review Group
  • TASS, Telegrafnoye Agentstvo Sovyetskovo Soyuza (Telegraphic Agency of the Soviet Union, Soviet News Agency)
  • Topol, series indicator for telegrams to the Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and European Regional Organizations
  • Tosec, series indicator for telegrams to the Secretary of State while away from Washington
  • TTD, temporary travel document
  • UK, United Kingdom
  • UN, United Nations
  • UNGA, United Nations General Assembly
  • US, United States
  • USA, United States of America; or United States Army
  • USAF, United States Air Force
  • USAFE, United States Air Force, Europe
  • USAREUR, US Army, Europe
  • USG, United States Government
  • USN, United States Navy
  • USNATO, series indicator for telegrams from the Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to the Department of State
  • USSR, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
  • USUN, US Mission to the United Nations
  • VIP, very important person
  • WEU, Western European Union
  • WH, White House
  • WSAG, Washington Special Actions Group