Office of the Historian

List of Abbreviations

  • ABC, atomic, biological, chemical
  • ACDA/IR, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency/Interpreting Branch
  • AG, Attorney General
  • AP, Associated Press
  • APC, armored personnel carrier
  • ASAP, as soon as possible
  • ATC, Allied traffic control
  • ATO, Allied traffic office
  • AUS, active unit status
  • B, Office of the Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs
  • B/FAC, Deputy Coordinator for Foreign Assistance, Office of the Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs
  • BASC, Berlin Air Safety Center
  • BERCON, Berlin contingency
  • BNA, Office of British Commonwealth and Northern European Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • CDU, Christlich-Demokratische Union (Christian Democratic Union)
  • CEMA, Council for Economic Mutual Assistance
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • CINCEUR, Commander in Chief, Europe
  • CPSU, Communist Party of the Soviet Union
  • CVA, attack aircraft carrier
  • CVS, antisubmarine warfare aircraft carrier
  • DDR, Deutsche Demokratische Republik (German Democratic Republic)
  • Depcirtel, Department of State circular telegram
  • Dept, Department
  • Deptel, Department of State telegram
  • DM, Deutschemark (German Mark)
  • DOD, Department of Defense
  • ECE, Economic Commission for Europe
  • EDT, Eastern daylight time
  • Embtel, Embassy telegram
  • EUCOM, European Command
  • EUR, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EUR/RA, Office of European Regional Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EUR/WE, Office of Western European Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • FDP, Freie Demokratische Partei (Free Democratic Party)
  • FedRep, Federal Republic
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • FRG, Federal Republic of Germany
  • FYI, for your information
  • G, Deputy Under Secretary of State for Polictical Affairs
  • GA, General Assembly
  • GDR, German Democratic Republic
  • GER, Office of German Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • G/PM, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs
  • IAA, International Access Authority
  • ICC, International Control Commission
  • ICG, Interdepartmental Coordinating Group
  • ICJ, International Court of Justice
  • INR, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
  • IO, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State
  • IS, International Staff
  • ISA, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
  • IZT, interzonal trade
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • JS, Joint Staff
  • K, Khrushchev
  • L/EUR, Assistant Legal Adviser for European Affairs, Department of State
  • MC, memorandum of conversation
  • MDA, Mutual Defense Assistance
  • MP, military police
  • MRBM, medium range ballistic missile
  • MRP, Mouvement Republicain Populaire (French political party)
  • NAC, North Atlantic Council
  • NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • Niact, night action; communications indicator requiring attention by the recipient at any hour of the day or night
  • NORAD, North American Air Defense
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • OECD, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
  • ourtel, our telegram
  • PAA, Pan American (World) Airways
  • PermRep, Permanent Representative
  • PMK, President’s Meeting with Khrushchev
  • POLAD, Political Adviser
  • Polto, series indicator for telegrams from the Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and European Regional Organizations
  • PPS, Policy Planning Council, Department of State
  • QBAL, Quadripartite Berlin airlift
  • RA, Office of European Regional Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • reftel, reference telegram
  • Rep, Representative
  • reurtel, reference your telegram
  • RFE, Radio Free Europe
  • RG, Record Group
  • RIAS, Rundfunk in Amerikanischen Sektor (U.S. Radio in the American Sector of Berlin)
  • S, Office of the Secretary of State
  • SAC, Strategic Air Command
  • SACEUR, Supreme Allied Commander, Eurolpe
  • SEATO, Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
  • Secto, series indicator for telegrams from the Secretary of State or his party to the Department of State
  • SED, Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (Socialist Unity Party of Germany)
  • SHAPE, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe
  • S/O, Operations Center, Office of the Secretary of State
  • Sov, Soviet; Office of Soviet Union Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State.
  • SovDel, Soviet Delegation
  • S/P, Policy Planning Council, Department of State
  • SPD, Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (German Social Democratic Party)
  • S/S, Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • STRAC, Strategic Air Corps
  • STRAF, Strategic Air Force
  • SU, Soviet Union
  • tel, telegram
  • 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 or his party from the Department of State
  • TTD, temporary travel document
  • U, Office of the Under Secretary of State
  • US/MC, United States/memorandum of conversation
  • UN, United Nations
  • UNGA, United Nations General Assembly
  • USAF(E), United States Air Force (Europe)
  • USAREUR, United States Army, Europe
  • USCOB, United States Command(er), Berlin
  • USDel, United States Delegation
  • USG, United States Government
  • USIA, United States Information Agency
  • Vopo, Volkspolizei (Peoples’ Police)
  • WE, Office of Western European Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • WEU, Western European Union
  • WFM, Washington Foreign Ministers (Meeting)
  • WFTU, World Federation of Trade Unions
  • Z, Zulu time zone