Office of the Historian

List of Abbreviations and Symbols

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.

  • AA, anti-aircraft
  • AAA, anti-aircraft artillery
  • ACFL, All-China Federation of Labor
  • ADA, Americans for Democratic Action
  • ADCC, air defense control center
  • ADPC (CIA), Assistant Director for Policy Coordination, Central Intelligence Agency
  • AEC, Atomic Energy Commission
  • ALUSNA, United States Naval Attaché
  • AMS, minesweepers
  • ANZUS, Australia, New Zealand, United States
  • ARL, landing craft repair ship
  • ASW, anti-submarine warfare
  • att, attaché
  • AW, aircraft warning
  • BNA, Office of British Commonwealth and Northern European Affairs, Department of State
  • BST, bilateral security treaty
  • C, Counselor of the Department of State
  • CA, Office of Chinese Affairs, Department of State
  • CAF, Chinese Air Force (Republic of China)
  • CAT, Civil Air Transport
  • CCAF, Chinese Communist Air Force
  • CCP, Chinese Communist Party
  • CERP, Comprehensive Economic Reporting Program
  • CG/COCOM, Paris Consultative Group of nations working to control export of strategic goods to Communist countries, Coordinating Committee of the Consultative Group
  • CGKCOMZ, Commanding General, Korean Communication Zone
  • CHINCOM, China Committee, a permanent working group of the Paris Consultative Group of nations working to control export of strategic goods to Communist countries
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • CINCFE, Commander in Chief, Far East
  • CINCPAC, Commander in Chief, Pacific
  • CINCPACFLT, Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet
  • CINCUNC, Commander in Chief, United Nations Command
  • CIO, Congress of Industrial Organizations
  • circ, circular
  • CNAF, Chinese Nationalist Air Force
  • COCOM, Coordinating Committee of the Paris Consultative Group of nations working to control export of strategic goods to Communist countries
  • COMFEAF, Commander, Far East Air Forces
  • COMNAV, Commander, Naval Forces
  • COMNAVFE, Commander, Naval Forces, Far East
  • ConGen, Consulate General; Consul General
  • Cotel, country team telegram
  • CPG, Chinese People’s Government
  • CSF, Coastal Safety Forces (Japan)
  • CTF, Commander Task Force
  • D/I USAF, Director of Intelligence, United States Air Force
  • DA, Department of the Army
  • DD, destroyer
  • DDE, destroyer escort
  • DE, destroyer escort
  • Depom, Department operations memorandum
  • DeptAr, Department of the Army
  • Deptel, Department of State telegram
  • DL, Dalai Lama
  • DMS, Director for Mutual Security
  • Dulte, primarily a series indicator for telegrams from Secretary of State Dulles while absent from Washington; also used as series indicator for telegrams to him from the head of the U.S. Delegation at an international conference
  • ED, Investment and Economic Development Staff, Department of State
  • EDAC, Economic Defense Advisory Committee
  • EDC, European Defense Community
  • EDS, Economic Defense Staff, Department of State
  • Embtel, Embassy telegram
  • EPU, European Payments Union
  • ESB, Economic Stabilization Board (Republic of China)
  • ESS, Economic Section SCAP
  • ETA, estimated time of arrival
  • EUR, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EW/GCI, early warning ground control intercept
  • EWR, early warning radar
  • EXCON, series indicator for telegrams concerning the work of the Paris Consultative Group or its subsidiary bodies
  • ExImBank, Export Import Bank
  • FCN, Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation (Treaty)
  • FE, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • FEAF, Far East Air Forces
  • FEC, Far Eastern Commission; Far East Command
  • FECOM, Far East Command
  • FOA, Foreign Operations Administration
  • FonMin, Foreign Minister
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • fwdd, forwarded
  • 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 or higher level
  • GARIOA, Government and Relief in Occupied Areas
  • GATT, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
  • GCI, ground control intercept
  • GER, Bureau (from 1953, Office) of German Affairs, Department of State
  • GHQ, General Headquarters
  • GKI, Geneva Conference—Korea, Indochina
  • GNP, gross national product
  • GOI, Government of India
  • govtal, governmental
  • GRC, Government of the Republic of China
  • GRI, Government of the Ryukyu Islands
  • HQ, Headquarters
  • IAC, Intelligence Advisory Committee
  • IBRD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • IC, Indochina
  • ICFTU, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
  • ICIS, Interdepartmental Committee on Internal Security
  • IRC, International Red Cross
  • ISAC, International Security Affairs Committee
  • JASF, Japanese Air Safety Force
  • JCRR, Joint (United States-Chinese) Commission on Rural Rehabilitation (Taiwan)
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • JCSF, Japanese Coastal Safety Force
  • JFY, Japanese fiscal year (April 1–March 31)
  • JG, Japanese Government
  • JNPR, Japanese National Police Reserve
  • JNSA, Japanese National Safety Agency
  • JNSF, Japanese National Safety Force
  • JNPR, Japanese National Police Reserve
  • JSPD–JCS, Joint Subsidiary Plans Division, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • L, Office of the Legal Adviser, Department of State
  • L/EUR, Assistant Legal Adviser for European Affairs, Department of State
  • L/GER, Assistant Legal Adviser for German Affairs, Department of State
  • LCM, landing craft, medium
  • LCVP, landing craft, vehicle-personnel
  • LSSL, landing ship, support (large)
  • LST, landing ship, tank
  • LVT, landing vehicle tracked
  • MAAG, Military Assistance Advisory Group
  • MAC, Military Armistice Commission
  • MATS, Military Air Transport Service
  • MC, Office of Munitions Control, Department of State
  • MDA, Mutual Defense Assistance
  • MDAA, Mutual Defense Assistance Act
  • MDAC, Mutual Defense Assistance Control
  • MDAP, Mutual Defense Assistance Program
  • MEA, Ministry of External Affairs
  • Mistel, Mission telegram
  • MITI, Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry
  • MND, Ministry of National Defense (Republic of China)
  • MSA, Mutual Security Act; Mutual Security Agency; Mutual Security Assistance
  • MSB, minesweeping craft
  • MSP, Mutual Security Program
  • mytel, my telegram
  • NA, Office of Northeast Asian Affairs, Department of State
  • NAC, National Advisory Council on International Monetary and Financial Problems
  • NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • NDA, National Defense Agency (Japan)
  • NGRC, National Government of the Republic of China
  • niact, night action, communications indicator requiring attention by the recipient at any hour of the day or night
  • NIE, National Intelligence Estimate
  • noforn, security classification meaning no foreign distribution
  • NPR, National Police Reserve (Japan)
  • NSA, National Safety Agency (Japan)
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • NSF, National Safety Forces (Japan)
  • NT, New Taiwan (Republic of China currency)
  • OCB, Operations Coordinating Board
  • OCI, Office of Current Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency
  • ODM, Office of Defense Mobilization
  • ODMS, Office of the Director of Mutual Security
  • OEEC, Organization for European Economic Cooperation
  • OFD, Office of Financial and Development Policy, Department of State
  • OIR, Office of Intelligence Research, Department of State
  • OMA, Office of Military Assistance, Department of Defense
  • opnal, operational
  • ORR, Office of Research and Reports, Department of State
  • OSP, offshore procurement
  • PC, participating country
  • PC, patrol vessel, submarine chaser
  • PCE, patrol craft, escort
  • PF, patrol vessel, frigate
  • ping, planning
  • POL, petroleum, oil, and lubricants
  • PolAd, United States Political Adviser (to SCAP)
  • Polto, series indicator for telegrams from the U.S. Special Representative in Europe (after June 12, 1953, the U.S. Permanent Representative on the North Atlantic Council)
  • PPC, People’s Political Council (Republic of China, 1938–1948)
  • Pres US, President of the United States
  • PriMin, Prime Minister
  • psnl, personnel
  • PT, motor torpedo boat
  • PX, post exchange
  • RA, Office of European Regional Affairs, Department of State
  • RCT, Regimental Combat Team
  • reftel, reference telegram
  • reurmsg, concerning your message
  • ROC, Republic of China
  • ROK, Republic of Korea
  • ron, squadron
  • Ryokufukai, The Green Breeze Society (Japanese political grouping)
  • S, Office of the Secretary of State
  • S/MSA, Office of the Special Assistant to the Secretary for Mutual Security Affairs, Department of State
  • S/P, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • S/S, Executive Secretariat of the Department of State
  • SAC, Strategic Air Command
  • SC, Security Council of the United Nations
  • SCAP, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in Japan
  • SE, Special Estimate
  • SEA, Southeast Asia
  • SEATO, Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
  • SecDef, Secretary of Defense
  • SOA, Office of South Asian Affairs, Department of State
  • Sohyo, General Council of Trade Unions (Japan)
  • SS, submarine
  • SWNCC, State–War–Navy Coordinating Committee
  • SYG, Secretary-General
  • T/A, technical assistance
  • T/E, table of equipment
  • T/O and E, table of organization and equipment
  • TDY, temporary duty
  • Tedul, primarily a series indicator for telegrams to Secretary of State Dulles while absent from Washington; also used as a series indicator for telegrams from Dulles to the head of the U.S. Delegation at an international conference
  • TIAS, Treaties and Other International Acts Series
  • Topad, designation for telegraphic correspondence in either direction between the U.S. Political Adviser to SCAP and the Department of State
  • Topol, series indicator for telegrams to the U.S. Special Representative in Europe (after June 12, 1953, the U.S. Permanent Representative on the North Atlantic Council)
  • Tousfo, series indicator for telegrams to the Foreign Operations Administration in Washington from its missions abroad
  • translip, transmittal slip
  • UC, Unified Command
  • UK, United Kingdom
  • UKHC, United Kingdom High Commissioner
  • UN, United Nations
  • UNC, United Nations Command
  • unn, unnumbered
  • UNO, United Nations Organization
  • UNSYG, United Nations Secretary-General
  • UP, Uttar Pradesh (India)
  • urmsg, your message
  • urtel, your telegram
  • USAF, United States Air Force
  • USCAR, United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyus
  • USDel, United States Delegation
  • USFJ, United States Forces in Japan
  • USG, United States Government
  • USIA, United States Information Agency
  • USPolAd, United States Political Adviser (to SCAP)
  • USSR, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
  • UST, United States Treaties and Other International Agreements
  • WE, Western Hemisphere
  • Weeka, weekly, interagency, summary analysis from United States diplomatic missions
  • ZI, Zone of Interior