Office of the Historian

Abbreviations and Terms

  • A, Bureau of Administration, Department of State
  • A/S, assistant secretary
  • ABC, American Broadcasting Company
  • ABM, anti-ballistic missile
  • ACDA, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
  • ADB, Asian Development Bank
  • AF, Bureau of African Affairs, Department of State
  • AFL–CIO, American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations
  • AID, Agency for International Development
  • AIPAC, American Israel Public Affairs Committee
  • ALCOA, Aluminum Company of America
  • ANZUS, Australia, New Zealand, United States (treaty organization)
  • AP, Associated Press
  • ARA or ARA/LA, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Department of State/Bureau for Latin America, Agency for International Development
  • ARMCO, American Rolling Mill Company
  • ASA, African Studies Association
  • ASAT, anti-satellite
  • ASEAN, Association of Southeast Asian Nations
  • ASNE, American Society of Newspaper Editors
  • B–1, American long-range bomber
  • B–52, American long-range bomber
  • Backfire, Soviet long-range bomber
  • C, Jimmy Carter
  • CA, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Department of State
  • CAB, Civil Aeronautics Board
  • CACM, Central American Common Market
  • CAP, Common Agricultural Policy
  • CAT, conventional arms transfer
  • CB, Citizens’ Band radio
  • CBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
  • CBS, Columbia Broadcasting System
  • CBU, cluster bomb unit
  • CD, Christine Dodson
  • CDU, Christlich-Demokratische Union (Christian Democratic Union)
  • CENTO, Central Eastern Treaty Organization c.f., comparison
  • CFC, Common Fund for Commodities
  • CFR, Council on Foreign Relations
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • CIEC, Conference on International Economic Cooperation
  • COCOM, Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls
  • CSCE, Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe
  • CSU, Christlich-Soziale Union (Christian Social Union)
  • CTB, Comprehensive Test Ban
  • CW, conventional weapons; chemical weapons
  • Cyber-76, mainframe class supercomputer produced by Control Data Corporation
  • D, Office of the Deputy Secretary of State; Democrat
  • D/CT, Office for Combating Terrorism, Office of the Deputy Secretary of State
  • DA, David Aaron
  • DCA, Defense Cooperation Agreement
  • DCC, Development Coordination Committee
  • DCI, Director of Central Intelligence
  • DFL, Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
  • DOD, Department of Defense
  • EB, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, Department of State
  • EC, European Community
  • EC–9 or Nine, reference to the nine member states of the EC: Belgium, Denmark, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom
  • ECOSOC, United Nations Economic and Social Council
  • ERW, enhanced radiation weapons
  • ES, UN emergency session
  • ESF, Economic Support Fund
  • EUR, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • F–14, USN twin-engine, two seat fighter aircraft
  • F–15, USAF twin-engine, tactical fighter
  • F–16, USAF multirole fighter aircraft
  • F–18, USN/USMC twin-engine, multirole fighter aircraft
  • FAC, Food Aid Convention
  • FAO, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
  • FDR, Franklin Delano Roosevelt
  • FEMA, Federal Emergency Management Agency
  • FLIR, forward-looking infrared
  • FMS, foreign military sales
  • FNLA, National Front for the Liberation of Angola
  • FPA, Foreign Policy Association
  • FRG, Federal Republic of Germany
  • FSO, foreign service officer
  • FY, fiscal year
  • G–7, Group of 7 (Canada, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States)
  • G–77, Group of 77 (group of developing countries established at the conclusion of UNCTAD in 1964)
  • GATT, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
  • GDR, German Democratic Republic
  • GLCM, ground-launched cruise missiles
  • GNP, gross national product
  • H, Bureau of Congressional Relations, Department of State
  • HA, Bureau of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, Department of State
  • HFAC, House Foreign Affairs Committee
  • HR, House Resolution; also human rights
  • IADB or IDB, Inter-American Development Bank
  • IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency
  • IBRD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • ICBM, intercontinental ballistic missile
  • ICCPR, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
  • ICESCR, International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights
  • ICIDI, Independent Commission on International Development Issues (Brandt Commission)
  • ICRC, International Committee of the Red Cross
  • IDCA, International Development Cooperation Agency
  • IEA, International Energy Agency
  • IFAD, International Fund for Agricultural Development
  • IFCE or INFCE, International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Evaluation
  • IFIs, international financial institutions
  • IGA, International Grains Arrangement or Agreement
  • IMF, International Monetary Fund
  • INM, Bureau for International Narcotics Matters, Department of State
  • INR, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
  • INS, Immigration and Naturalization Service
  • IO, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State
  • IOC, International Olympics Committee
  • IPC, Integrated Program for Commodities
  • ISA, Office of International Security Affairs, Department of Defense
  • IWA, International Wheat Agreement
  • IWC, International Wheat Council
  • J or JC, Jimmy Carter
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • JTF, joint task force
  • KT, kiloton
  • L, Office of the Legal Adviser, Department of State
  • LA, Latin America
  • LASA, Latin American Studies Association
  • LBJ, Lyndon Baines Johnson
  • LDC, lesser developed country
  • LDP, Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
  • LOS, law of the sea
  • LTDP, long-term defense planning
  • M–X, missile experimental; intercontinental ballistic missile
  • MBFR, mutual and balanced force reductions
  • MFN, most-favored nation
  • Misc., miscellaneous
  • MT, metric ton
  • Mtg., meeting
  • MTNs, multilateral trade negotiations
  • NAACP, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
  • NAC, North Atlantic Council
  • NAM, Non-aligned Movement
  • NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • NBC, National Broadcasting Company
  • NEA, Bureau of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, Department of State; also Nuclear Energy Agency
  • NIE, National Intelligence Estimate
  • NIEO, New International Economic Order
  • NPR, National Public Radio
  • NPT, Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • NSG, Nuclear Suppliers Group
  • OAS, Organization of American States
  • OAU, Organization of African Unity
  • ODC, Overseas Development Council
  • OECD, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
  • OES, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Department of State
  • OMB, Office of Management and Budget
  • OPEC, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
  • OPIC, Overseas Private Investment Corporation
  • OSD/ISA, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
  • P, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
  • PA, Bureau of Public Affairs, Department of State
  • PACOM, U.S. Pacific Command
  • PD, Presidential Directive
  • PDRY, People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen
  • PER, Bureau of Personnel, Department of State
  • PFT, Sino-Japanese Peace and Friendship Treaty
  • P.L., Public Law
  • P.L. 480, Public Law 480; Food for Peace
  • PLO, Palestinian Liberation Organization
  • PM, Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs, Department of State
  • PNE, Treaty on Underground Nuclear Explosions for Peaceful Purposes
  • Poseidon, submarine-launched ballistic missile
  • PR, public relations
  • PRC, People’s Republic of China; also, Policy Review Committee
  • PRM, Presidential Review Memorandum
  • R, Republican
  • Reps., representatives
  • RDF, Rapid Deployment Force
  • Res., resolution
  • RG, Record Group
  • RI, Rick Inderfurth
  • RN, Richard Nixon
  • RO/RO, roll on/roll off
  • ROC, Republic of China
  • RP, Office of Refugee Programs, Department of State
  • RW, radiological weapon
  • S, Office of the Secretary of State; also Senate
  • SA, Saudi Arabia
  • SALT, Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
  • SCC, Special Coordination Committee
  • Secy., secretary
  • SELA, Sistema Economico Latinoamericano
  • SFRC, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
  • S/P, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • SPD, Sozial Demokratische Partei Deutschlands (Social Democratic Party of [West] Germany)
  • SS–20, Soviet intermediate-range ballistic missile
  • SSA, security supporting assistance
  • SSOD, UN Special Session on Disarmament
  • Stat., statute
  • STR, Office of the Special Trade Representative
  • SU, Soviet Union
  • TL, Tony Lake
  • TNF, theater nuclear forces
  • TP, Proletarian Tendency faction of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (Nicaragua)
  • Trident II, submarine-launched ballistic missile
  • TTBT, Threshold Test Ban Treaty
  • U–2, single-engine, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft
  • UAW, United Auto Workers of America
  • UN, United Nations
  • UNCTAD, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  • UNGA, United Nations General Assembly
  • UNHCR, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
  • UNITA, National Union for the Total Independence of Angola
  • UPI, United Press International
  • US, United States
  • USA, United States Army
  • USDA, United States Department of Agriculture
  • USLO, United States Liaison Office
  • USOC, United States Olympic Committee
  • USSR, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
  • VP, Vice President
  • WC, Warren Christopher
  • WCARRD, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development
  • WO, William Odum
  • WR, weekly report
  • WTC, Wheat Trade Convention
  • ZB, Zbigniew Brzezinski