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.

  • A, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Personnel and Administration
  • AD/S, Office of the Assistant Director for Supply, Mutual Security Agency
  • AEC, Atomic Energy Commission
  • AFN, Armed Forces Network
  • AFP, Agence France Press
  • AFSOUTH, Allied Forces, Southern Europe
  • AFT, Allied Forces in Trieste
  • AKEL, Anorthotiken Komma Ergazomenou Laou (Progressive Party of the Working People), the Cypriot Communist Party
  • AMAS, American Military Assistance Staff
  • AMG, Allied Military Government
  • ARA, Bureau of Inter–American Affairs, Department of State
  • ATDA, Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act
  • AW, atomic warfare
  • B/P, balance of payments
  • B–29, U.S. four–engine bomber–type aircraft
  • BKI, Bloku Kombetar Independent, an Albanian émigré organization with pro–Italian leanings
  • BNA, Office of British Commonwealth and Northern European Affairs, Department of State
  • BW, biological warfare
  • C, Office of the Counselor, Department of State
  • C–47, U.S. twin–engine transport aircraft
  • CA, circular airgram; Office of Chinese Affairs, Department of State
  • Care, Cooperative for American Remittances
  • CC, Central Committee
  • CCP, Czech Communist Party
  • CG/COCOM, Coordinating Committee of the Paris Consultative Group of nations working to control export of strategic goods to Communist countries
  • Cheka, see VCHK
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • CIC, Commander in Chief
  • CINCEUR, Commander in Chief, Europe
  • CINCFE, Commander in Chief, Far East
  • CINCNELM, Commander in Chief, Naval Forces, Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean
  • CINCLANT, Commander in Chief, Allied Forces, North Atlantic
  • CINCSOUTH, Commander in Chief, Allied Forces, Southern Europe
  • CINCUNC, Commander in Chief, United Nations Command in Korea
  • COCOM, Coordinating Committee of the Paris Consultative Group of nations working to control export of strategic goods to Communist countries
  • Cominform, Communist Information Bureau
  • COMLANDSOUTH, Commander, Allied Land Forces, Southern Europe
  • Conf., confidential
  • ConGen, Consul(ate) General
  • CP, command post; Communist Party
  • CPSU, Communist Party of the Soviet Union
  • CPX–2, Command Post Exercise–2
  • CPY, Communist Party of Yugoslavia
  • CSA, Czechoslovak Airlines
  • CW, chemical warfare
  • CY, calendar year
  • D–day, day on which an operation commences or is to commence
  • DefMin, Defense Minister
  • Del, Delegation
  • Delga, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
  • Depcirtel, Department of State circular telegram
  • DepFonMin, Deputy Foreign Minister
  • DepMinDef, Deputy Minister of Defense
  • Deptel, Department of State telegram
  • desp, despatch
  • DMPA, Defense Materials Procurement Agency
  • DMS, Director for Mutual Security
  • DRC(G), Defector Reception Center (Germany)
  • DRS, Division of Research for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Department of State
  • DS, Division of Protective Services, Department of State
  • E, Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs
  • E/ED, Economic Affairs, Investment and Economic Development Staff, Department of State
  • ECA, Economic Cooperation Administration
  • ECOSOC, United Nations Economic and Social Council
  • EDA, Eniaia Demokratiki Aristera (United Democratic Left), a Greek political party
  • EDAC, Economic Defense Advisory Committee
  • EDC, European Defense Community
  • EE, Office of Eastern European Affairs, Department of State
  • Embdesp, Embassy despatch
  • EPEK, Ethnik Prodeftiki Enosis Kendrou (National Progressive Union of the Center), a Greek political coalition
  • EPS, Emergency Procurement Service
  • EPU, European Payments Union
  • ERP, European Recovery Program
  • EUR, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EUR/P, Public Affairs Adviser, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • Excon, series indicator for telegrams concerning the work of the Paris Consultative Group or its subsidiary bodies
  • EXIM Bank, Export–Import Bank
  • EWP, Emergency War Plan
  • FCY, Federation of Yugoslav Communists
  • FE, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • FEAF, US Air Force, Far East
  • FEC, Far Eastern Commission; Far East Command
  • FNRJ, Federated National Republic of Yugoslavia
  • FO, Foreign Office
  • FOA, Foreign Operations Administration
  • FOA/W, headquarters of the Foreign Operations Administration in Washington
  • FonAff, Foreign Affairs
  • FonMin, Foreign Minister
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • FonSec, Foreign Secretary
  • FPRY, Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia
  • FTT, Free Territory of Trieste
  • FY, fiscal year
  • FYI, for your information
  • G, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of State
  • G–2, United States Army general staff section dealing with intelligence at the divisional or higher level
  • Gadel, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
  • GAF, Greek Armed Forces
  • GARIOA, Government Assistance and Relief in Occupied Areas
  • GMT, Greenwich Mean Time
  • GNA, Grand National Assembly
  • GTI, Office of Greek, Turkish, and Iranian Affairs, Department of State
  • H, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations
  • HAFSE, Headquarters, Allied Forces, Southern Europe
  • HMG, His (Her) Majesty’s Government
  • HQ, headquarters
  • HWP, Hungarian Workers Party
  • IAC, Intelligence Advisory Committee
  • IAD, Division of Acquisition and Distribution, Office of Intelligence, Department of State
  • IBRD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • IBS/NY, International Broadcast Service, USIA, New York
  • ICEM, Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration
  • ICRC, International Committee of the Red Cross
  • IDEA, Ieros Desmos Ellenon Axionmatikon (Sacred Bond of Greek Officers)
  • IIA, International Information Administration
  • IMF, International Monetary Fund
  • Infotel, information telegram from the Department of State to specified posts
  • INR, Office of the Director of Intelligence and Research (from 1957), Department of State
  • IO, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State
  • IPO, Office of Policy and Plans, USIA
  • ITDA, Integrated Tunnel Diode Amplifier
  • JAMMAT, Joint American Military Mission for Aid to Turkey
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • JSSC, Joint Strategic Survey Committee
  • JUSMAG(G), Joint United States Military Aid Group (Greece)
  • Kentel, series indicator for messages from Ambassador George F. Kennan to the Secretary of State only
  • KGB, Committee on State Security (Kommissiya Gosudarstvennyi Bezobastnosti) (Soviet Secret Police, from 1954)
  • KKE, Kommounistikon Komma Ellados (Communist Party of Greece)
  • L, Office of the Legal Adviser, Department of State
  • L/C, Assistance Legal Adviser for International Claims
  • L/EUR, Assistant Legal Adviser for European Affairs, Department of State
  • LOC, line of communication
  • LSO, Labor Service Organization
  • MAAG, Military Assistance Advisory Group
  • MAS, Military Agency for Standardization
  • MDAP, Mutual Defense Assistance Program
  • ME, Middle East
  • MEC, Middle East Command
  • MEDO, Middle East Defense Organization
  • MG, Military Government
  • MGB, Ministry for State Security of the Soviet Union (Ministerstvo Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti) (Soviet Secret Police, 1947–1953)
  • MI–6, British intelligence organization
  • MIG, Soviet fighter aircraft
  • MRC, Munich Radio Center
  • MRP, Mouvement Républicain Populaire (French political party)
  • MSA, Mutual Security Agency (Act)
  • MSA/G, Mutual Security Agency, Greece
  • MSA/W, Mutual Security Agency, Washington
  • MSI, Movimento Sociale Italiano (Italian Social Movement)
  • MSP, Mutual Security Program
  • Musto, series indicator for telegrams from the Mutual Security Agency in Washington to its missions abroad
  • MVD, Ministry of Interior Affairs (Ministerstvo Vnutrennykh Del’) of the Soviet Union
  • NAC, National Advisory Council on International Monetary and Financial Problems; North Atlantic Council
  • NAT(O), North Atlantic Treaty (Organization)
  • NCFE, National Committee for Free Europe
  • NCO, noncommissioned officer
  • NDGS, National Defense General Staff
  • NEA, Bureau of Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs, Department of State
  • NEP, new economic policy, pursued in the Soviet Union in the early 1920s
  • niact, night action, communications indicator requiring attention by the recipient at any hour of the day or night
  • NIE, National Intelligence Estimate
  • NKVD, People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs (Narodnyi Kommissariat Vnutrennykh Del’)
  • Noforn, no foreign nationals (dissemination indicator)
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • O, Office of the Under Secretary of State for Administration
  • OCB, Operations Coordinating Board
  • OEEC, Organization for European Economic Cooperation
  • OFD, Office of Financial and Development Policy, Department of State
  • OGPU, Unified State Political Administration (Soviet Secret Police, 1924–1934)
  • OIR, Office of Intelligence Research, Department of State
  • OPC, Office of Policy Coordination, Central Intelligence Agency
  • OSD, Office of the Secretary of Defense
  • OSP, offshore procurement
  • P, Bureau of Public Affairs, Department of State
  • PA, procurement authorization
  • PICMME, Provisional Intergovernmental Committee on Movement of Migrants from Europe
  • PL, Public Law
  • POC, Peace Observation Commission; Psychological Operations Coordinating Committee (interdepartmental)
  • POL, petroleum, oil, and lubricants
  • PolAd, Political Adviser
  • Polto, series indicator for telegrams from the Office of the United States Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council
  • POW, prisoner of war
  • PPC, Polish Political Council
  • PPS, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • PriMin, Prime Minister
  • PSB, Psychological Strategy Board
  • PZPR, Polish United Workers’ Party
  • R, Office of the Special Assistant for Intelligence, Department of State
  • RE, Office of European Regional Affairs, Department of State
  • reftel, reference telegram
  • Repto, series indicator for telegrams from the United States Special Representative in Europe, at Paris, to the Department of State
  • RFE, Radio Free Europe
  • RIAS, Rundfunk im Amerikanischen Sektor (Radio in the American Sector of Berlin)
  • RSFSR, Russian Socialist Federated Soviet Republic
  • S, Office of the Secretary of State
  • S/MSA, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Mutual Security Affairs
  • S/P, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • S/S, Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • SAC, Strategic Air Command
  • SACEUR, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
  • SC, Security Council
  • SCA, Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs, Department of State
  • SecDef, Secretary of Defense
  • SecGen, Secretary–General
  • SecState, Secretary of State
  • Secto, series indicator for telegrams to the Department of State from the Secretary of State (or his delegation) at international conferences
  • SG, Standing Group
  • SHAEF, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force (1944–1945)
  • SHAPE, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe
  • SIS, British Secret Intelligence Service
  • SOA, Office of South Asian Affairs, Department of State
  • SOF, status of forces
  • SRE, United States Special Representative in Europe
  • SS, submarine
  • SY, Division of Security, Department of State
  • TA, technical assistance
  • TASS, Telegrafnoe Agenstvo Sovetskovo Soiuza (Telegraphic Agency of the Soviet Union)
  • TC, Division of Language Services, Department of State
  • Telac, series indicator for telegrams to Secretary of State Acheson while away from Washington
  • TL, Turkish lira
  • Topol, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council
  • Tosec, series indicator for telegrams from the Department of State to the Secretary of State (or his delegation) at international conferences
  • Toufso, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Information Agency from its posts abroad
  • Tousi, series indicator for telegrams to the United States Information Agency from its posts abroad
  • Tridel, tripartite delegate (delegation)
  • TRUST, Trieste, United States troops
  • TU–4, Soviet bomber aircraft
  • U, Office of the Under Secretary of State
  • U/OC, Operations Coordinator, Office of the Under Secretary of State
  • U/SA, Science Adviser, Office of the Under Secretary of State
  • UDB(A), Uprava drzavne bezbednosti (Yugoslav Administration of State Security)
  • UN, United Nations
  • UNA, Bureau of United Nations Affairs, Department of State
  • UNGA, United Nations General Assembly
  • UNO, United Nations Organization
  • UNP, Office of United Nations Political and Security Affairs, Department of State
  • UNRRA, United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
  • UNSCOB, United Nations Special Committee on the Balkans
  • UP, United Press
  • ur, your
  • urtel, your telegram
  • USA, United States Army
  • USAF, United States Air Force
  • USAFE, United States Air Force, Europe
  • USAREUR, United States Army, Europe
  • USIA, United States Information Agency
  • USIE, United States Information and Educational Exchange Program
  • USIS, United States Information Service
  • USLO, United States Liaison Office
  • USN, United States Navy
  • USOM, United States Operations Mission
  • USPolAd, United States Political Adviser
  • USRO, United States Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and European Regional Organizations
  • VCHK, All–Russian Extraordinary Commission for Fighting Counter–Revolution and Sabotage or “Cheka”, the Soviet Secret Police, 1917–1922
  • VFC, Volunteer Freedom Corps
  • VG, Venezia Giulia
  • VGPF, Venezia Giulia Police Force
  • VO, Visa Office, Department of State
  • VOA, Voice of America
  • VOA/NY, Voice of America at New York
  • WE, Office of Western European Affairs, Department of State
  • Weeka, weekly, interagency summary analysis from United States diplomatic missions
  • WEU, Western European Union
  • WGS, Working Group (Stalin) of the Psychological Strategy Board
  • WHO, World Health Organization