Office of the Historian

Abbreviations and Terms

  • ABM, anti-ballistic missile
  • ACDA, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
  • ACE, Allied Command, Europe
  • ACW, aircraft control and warning
  • AEC, Atomic Energy Commission
  • AF, Bureau of African Affairs, Department of State
  • AFE, Armed Forces Europe
  • AFSOUTH, Allied Forces Southern Europe
  • AID, Agency for International Development
  • AID/AFR/NA, Office of North African Affairs, Agency for International Development
  • AIRSOUTH, Allied Air Forces Southern Europe
  • ANF, Atlantic Nuclear Force
  • AR, Albanian Resolution
  • AREUR, Army Europe
  • ARMA, Army Attaché
  • ASW, anti-submarine warfare
  • backchannel, a method of communication outside normal bureaucratic procedure; the Nixon White House, for instance, used backchannel messages to bypass the Department of State
  • Benelux, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg
  • BFR, balanced force reductions
  • BOAC, British Overseas Airways Corporation
  • BOB, Bureau of the Budget
  • BOP, balance of payments
  • CAB, Civil Aviation Board
  • CAP, Common Agricultural Policy
  • CCC, Commodity Credit Corporation
  • CCMS, Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society
  • CDU, Christliche Demokratische Union (Christian Democratic Union), West German political party
  • CEA, Council of Economic Advisers
  • CEC, Conference on European Cooperation
  • CES, Conference on European Security
  • Chicom, Chinese Communist
  • Chirec, Chinese recognition (involves bilateral relations between the PRC or ROC and a third country)
  • Chirep, Chinese representation (United Nations)
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • CIEP, Council on International Economic Policy
  • CINCSOUTH, Commander in Chief, U.S. Forces, Southern Europe
  • CINCUSNAVEUR, Commander in Chief, U.S. Navy, Europe
  • CINCUSAFE, Commander in Chief, U.S. Air Force, Europe
  • CINCUSAREUR, Commander in Chief, U.S. Army, Europe
  • circtel, circular telegram
  • COCOM, Coordinating Committee on Export Controls
  • COM, Department of Commerce
  • COMECON, Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
  • COMNAVSOUTH, Commander, Allied Naval Forces Southern Europe (NATO)
  • COMSIXTHFLT, Commander, Sixth Fleet
  • CONUS, continental United States
  • CPR, Chinese People’s Republic
  • CSCE, Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe
  • CU, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department of State
  • DAO, Defense Attaché Office
  • DCM, Deputy Chief of Mission
  • DDR, Deutsche Demokratische Republik (German Democratic Republic)
  • DefMin, Defense Minister
  • Deptel, Department telegram
  • DIA, Defense Intelligence Agency
  • DISC, Domestic International Sales Corporation
  • DND, Department of National Defence (Canada)
  • DOD, Department of Defense
  • DOD/ISA/EUR, Office of European Affairs, Office of International Security Affairs, Department of Defense
  • DPC, Defense Planning Committee (NATO)
  • DPQ, Defense Planning Questionnaire
  • DPRC, Defense Program Review Committee
  • DPSA, Defense Production Sharing Arrangement
  • E, Bureau of Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • E/OA/AN, Aviation Negotiations Division, Office of Aviation, Bureau of Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • EA, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State
  • EC, European Community
  • EEC, European Economic Community
  • EFTA, European Free Trade Area
  • ENDC, Eighteen-Nation Disarmament Committee
  • ENI, Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi (National Hydrocarbons Agency), Italian energy corporation
  • ESC, European Security Conference
  • EUR, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EUR/AIS, Office of Austria, Italy, and Switzerland Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EUR/BMI, Office of United Kingdom, Ireland, and Malta Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EUR/CAN, Office of Canadian Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EUR/FBX, Office of France and Benelux Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EUR/RPM, Office of Atlantic Political-Military Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EURATOM, European Atomic Energy Commission
  • Exdis, exclusive distribution only
  • FAA, Federal Aviation Authority
  • FCO, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, United Kingdom
  • FDIP, Foreign Direct Investment Program
  • FDP, Freie Demokratische Partei (Free Democratic Party), West German political party
  • FM, Foreign Minister
  • FonMin, Foreign Minister
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • FRG, Federal Republic of Germany
  • FTA, free trade area
  • GATT, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
  • GCI, ground control intercept
  • GDR, German Democratic Republic
  • GNP, Gross National Product
  • GOC, Government of Canada
  • GOF, Government of France
  • GOI, Government of Italy; Government of Ireland
  • GOM, Government of Malta
  • GOP, Government of Portugal
  • GOS, Government of Spain
  • GRC, Government of the Republic of China
  • HEW, Department of Health, Education and Welfare
  • HMG, Her Majesty’s Government
  • IBERLANT, Iberia-Atlantic Area
  • ICBM, intercontinental ballistic missile
  • ICC, International Control Commission
  • IG, Interdepartmental Group
  • IMF, International Monetary Fund
  • INR, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
  • IO, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State
  • IQ, Important Question
  • IRA, Irish Republican Army
  • IRBM, intermediate-range ballistic missile
  • IRI, Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (Industrial Reconstruction Institute), Italian state holding company
  • ISA, Office of International Security Affairs, Department of Defense
  • J, Office of the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
  • JCAE, Joint Committee on Atomic Energy
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • L, Office of the Legal Adviser, Department of State
  • LARG, Libyan Arab Republic Government
  • LDC, less developed country
  • Limdis, limited distribution
  • LTBT, Limited Test Ban Treaty
  • MAP, Military Assistance Program
  • MARAIRMED, Maritime Air Forces Mediterranean
  • MATS, Military Air Transport Service
  • MBFR, mutual and balanced force reductions
  • MDAP, Mutual Defense Assistance Program
  • ME, Middle East; Maine
  • MFN, most favored nation
  • MIRV, multiple independently-targeted reentry vehicle
  • MLP, Maltese Labour Party
  • MOD, Minister of Defense
  • MOFA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • MP, Member of Parliament
  • MPD, missile planning defense
  • MRBM, medium-range ballistic missile
  • MSI, Movimento Sociale Italiano (Italian Social Movement), Italian political party
  • MSTS, Military (Seaborne) Transportation Service
  • NAC, North Atlantic Council
  • NAFTA, North Atlantic Free Trade Area
  • NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • NAVEUR, Navy, Europe
  • NDAC, Nuclear Defense Affairs Committee (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
  • NI, Northern Ireland
  • NIE, National Intelligence Estimate
  • NLF, National Liberation Front
  • Nodis, no distribution
  • Noforn, no foreign distribution
  • NPG, Nuclear Planning Group (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
  • NPT, Non-Proliferation Treaty
  • NSAM, National Security Action Memorandum
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • NSDM, National Security Decision Memorandum
  • NSSM, National Security Study Memorandum
  • NVA, North Vietnamese Army
  • OBE, overtaken by events
  • OECD, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
  • OEP, Office of Emergency Preparedness
  • OSD, Office of the Secretary of Defense
  • OSD/ISA, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
  • OST, Office of Science and Technology
  • PAF, Portuguese Air Force
  • PCI, Partito Comunista Italiano (Italian Communist Party), Italian political party
  • PermRep, Permanent Representative
  • PL, Public Law
  • PM, Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs, Department of State
  • PM/ISO, Office of International Security Operations, Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs, Department of State
  • POL, petroleum, oil, lubricants
  • PRC, People’s Republic of China
  • PriMin, Prime Minister
  • PSDI, Partito Socialista Democratico Italiano (Italian Democratic Socialist Party), Italian political party
  • PSU, Partito Socialista Unitario (United Socialist Party), Italian political party
  • R&D, research and development
  • REDCOSTE, reduction of costs in Europe
  • reftel, reference telegram
  • RG, Review Group; Record Group
  • RN, Royal Navy
  • ROC, Republic of China
  • RV, reentry vehicle
  • S, Office of the Secretary of State
  • S/S, Executive Secretariat, Office of the Secretary of State
  • S/S–O, Operations Center, Executive Secretariat, Office of the Secretary of State
  • SAC, Strategic Air Command; Supreme Allied Command
  • SACEUR, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
  • SALT, Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
  • SATCOM, satellite communications
  • SCCC, San Clemente Communications Center
  • SCI, Bureau of International Scientific and Technological Affairs, Department of State
  • SDR, Special Drawing Rights
  • SecDef, Secretary of Defense
  • Secto, series indicator for telegrams from the Secretary of State or his delegation to the Department of State
  • septel, separate telegram
  • SETAF, Southern European Task Force
  • SHAPE, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe
  • SIOP, single integrated operation plan
  • SIOS, Sevizio Informazioni (Italian Army Intelligence)
  • SNIE, Special National Intelligence Estimate
  • SOFA, Status of Forces Agreement
  • SPD, Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (German Social Democratic Party), West German political party
  • SRG, Senior Review Group
  • STR, Office of the Special Representative for Trade Negotiations
  • SYG, Secretary General
  • TACSATCOM, tactical satellite communications (North Atlantic Treaty Organization communications satellite project)
  • TAP, Transportes Aéreos Portugueses, Portuguese national airline
  • Tosec, series indicator for telegrams from the Department of State to the Secretary of State or his delegation
  • UAR, United Arab Republic
  • UK, United Kingdom
  • UN, United Nations
  • UNGA, United Nations General Assembly
  • USASETAF, United States Army Southern European Task Force
  • USC, Under Secretaries Committee
  • USCINCEUR, Commander in Chief, Europe
  • USCINCLANT, Commander in Chief, Atlantic
  • USDOCOSOUTH, Documents Officer, Allied Forces, Southeastern Europe
  • USEUCOM, European Command
  • USLOSACLANT, Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic
  • USG, United States Government
  • USIA, United States Information Agency
  • USNATO, series indicator for telegrams from the Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to the Department of State
  • USNMR SHAPE, United States National Military Representative, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe
  • USUN, United States Mission to the United Nations
  • VC, Viet Cong
  • VP, Verification Panel
  • WEU, Western European Union
  • WG, Working Group
  • WSAG, Washington Special Actions Group