Office of the Historian

Abbreviations and Terms

  • ACDA, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
  • AC&W, aircraft control and warning
  • ADB, Asian Development Bank
  • AEC, Atomic Energy Commission
  • AID, Agency for International Development
  • AMB, ambassador
  • AP, Associated Press
  • AR, Albanian Resolution (UN)
  • ASEAN, Association of Southeast Asian Nations
  • ASW, anti-submarine warfare (DOD)
  • BOP, balance of payments
  • CCK, Chiang Ching-kuo
  • CHICOM, Chinese Communist
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • CIEP, Council on International Economic Policy (U.S.)
  • CINCPAC, Commander in Chief, Pacific
  • CNO, Chief of Naval Operations (DOD)
  • COMNAVFORJAPAN, Commander, Naval Forces, Japan
  • COMSEVENTHFLT, Commander, Seventh Fleet
  • COMUSJ, Commander U.S. Forces, Japan
  • CONGEN, Consulate General
  • CONUS, Continental United States
  • DCI, Director of Central Intelligence (CIA)
  • DCM, Deputy Chief of Mission, United States Embassy
  • DEPTEL, Department of State telegram
  • DIA, Defense Intelligence Agency
  • DIS or DISS., dissemination
  • DOD, Department of Defense
  • DOD/ISA, Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
  • DOS, Department of State
  • DR, Dual Representation (UN)
  • DRV, Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam)
  • DSP, Democratic Socialist Party (Japan)
  • E, Bureau of Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • EA, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State
  • EA/J, Officer in Charge of Japanese Affairs, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State
  • EAP, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State
  • ECM, electronic countermeasures
  • EDA, excess defense articles
  • EMBTEL, embassy telegram
  • ESC, European Security Conference
  • EXDIS, exclusive distribution (indicates extremely limited dissemination)
  • FAC, foreign assets control
  • FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • FBIS, Foreign Broadcast Information Service
  • FCN, Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation (Treaty)
  • FMS, foreign military sales
  • FNLA, National Liberation Front of Angola (Frente Nacional de Libertacao de Angola)
  • FONMIN, foreign minister
  • FRC, Federal Records Center (U.S.)
  • FRD, formerly restricted data
  • FSO, Foreign Service officer
  • FT, foreign trade
  • FY, fiscal year
  • FYI, for your information
  • GA, General Assembly (UN)
  • GATT, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
  • GIMO, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek (Jiang Jieshi)
  • GNP, gross national product
  • GOJ, Government of Japan
  • GOVT, Government
  • GPO, Government Printing Office (U.S.)
  • GRC, Government of the Republic of China on Taiwan
  • GRUNK, Gouvernement Royal d’Union Nationale du Kampuchéa (Cambodia)
  • GVN, Government of Vietnam (South)
  • HAK, Henry A. Kissinger
  • HK, Hong Kong, also initials for Henry Kissinger
  • HQ, headquarters
  • IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency
  • IBRD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank)
  • ICC, International Control Commission
  • ICCS, International Commission of Control and Supervision
  • IG, Interdepartmental Group
  • IMF, International Monetary Fund
  • INFO, information
  • INR, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
  • INR/EAP, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, East Asia and the Pacific, Department of State
  • INTEL, intelligence
  • IO, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State
  • IO/UNP, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Office of United Nations Political Affairs
  • IQ, important question (UN)
  • IRBM, intermediate range ballistic missile
  • ISA, Bureau of International Security Affairs, Department of Defense
  • ITAC, Interagency Textile Administrative Committee
  • J, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Department of State
  • JAEC, Japanese Atomic Energy Commission
  • JCRR, Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction (ROC)
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • JCSM, Joint Chiefs of Staff memorandum
  • JDA, Japanese Defense Agency
  • JGLO, Japanese Government Liaison Office, Ryukyu Islands
  • JHH, John Herbert Holdridge
  • JSDF, Japanese Self-Defense Forces
  • JSP, Japanese Socialist Party
  • KMT, Kuomintang (Nationalist Party, ROC), also called the Guomindang (GMD)
  • L, Office of the Legal Adviser, Department of State
  • LDP, Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
  • LIMDIS, limited distribution (see also EXDIS)
  • LO, liaison office
  • LTA, The Long Term Arrangement/Agreement on Cotton Textiles
  • M, Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management
  • MAAG, Military Assistance Advisory Group
  • MAP, Military Assistance/Aid Program
  • MBFR, Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions
  • MFA, Multifiber Agreement
  • MFN, Most Favored Nation
  • MIA, missing in action
  • MITI, Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Japan)
  • MOD, minister of defense
  • MPLA, Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (Movimento Popular de Libertacao de Angola)
  • MST, Mutual Security Treaty
  • NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • NIE, National Intelligence Estimate
  • NLF, National Liberation Front
  • NODIS, no distribution (other than to persons indicated)
  • NOFORN, no foreign dissemination
  • NOTAL, not to all
  • NPT, Nonproliferation Treaty
  • NSA, National Security Agency
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • NSDM, National Security Decision Memorandum
  • NSSM, National Security Study Memorandum
  • OASD/ISA, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
  • OBE, overtaken by events
  • OCI, Office of Current Intelligence (CIA)
  • OECD, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
  • OMB, Office of Management and Budget
  • O&M, operation and maintenance (DOD)
  • ONE, Office of National Estimates (CIA)
  • OPIC, Overseas Private Investment Corporation
  • OSD, Office of the Secretary of Defense
  • OUSD, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense
  • PACAF, Pacific Air Force (U.S.)
  • PACOM, Pacific Command (U.S.)
  • PARA, paragraph
  • PFIAB, President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
  • PLA, People’s Liberation Army (PRC)
  • PM, Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs, Department of State; also Prime Minister
  • POL, political
  • PRC, People’s Republic of China
  • PRCLO, People’s Republic of China Liaison Office (Washington)
  • PRES, the President
  • PRG, Provisional Revolutionary Government
  • PriMin, Prime Minister
  • QR, Quota Restriction
  • QTE, quote
  • REFTEL, reference telegram
  • REP, representative
  • RES, resolution (UN)
  • RET’D, returned (indicates when the President finished reading a document)
  • RG, record group (National Archives and Records Administration)
  • RN, Richard Nixon
  • RNC, Republican National Committee
  • ROC, Republic of China on Taiwan (see also GRC)
  • ROCAF, Republic of China Air Force
  • ROK, Republic of Korea (South Korea)
  • RPT, repeat
  • RVN, Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam)
  • S, Office of the Secretary of State
  • SALT, Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
  • SC, Security Council (UN)
  • SCA, Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs, Department of State
  • SCI, Bureau of International Scientific and Technological Affairs, Department of State; also sensitive compartmentalized information
  • SEA, Southeast Asia
  • SEATO, Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
  • SECDEF, Secretary of Defense
  • SECTO, from the Secretary of State (used for telegrams from the Secretary or his party while he is on travel)
  • SECY, Secretary of State
  • SECY GEN, Secretary General (UN)
  • SEPTEL, separate telegram
  • SIG, Senior Interdepartmental Group (NSC)
  • SNIE, Special National Intelligence Estimate
  • SOF(A), Status of Forces (Agreement)
  • S/P, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State
  • SRG, Senior Review Group (NSC)
  • S/S, Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • SUBPAC, Submarine Force, United States Pacific Fleet
  • SVN, South Vietnam
  • TDY, Temporary Duty
  • TOSEC, to the Secretary of State (used for telegrams to the Secretary while he is on travel)
  • TOSIT, to the White House Situation Room
  • TS, Top Secret
  • TV, television
  • U, Office of the Under Secretary of State
  • UK, United Kingdom
  • UN, United Nations
  • UNC, United Nations Command (Korea)
  • UNCTAD, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  • UNCURK, United Nations Commission for the Unification and Rehabilitation of Korea
  • UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
  • UNGA, United Nations General Assembly
  • UNITA, National Union for Total Independence of Angola (Uniao Nacional para a Independencia Total de Angola)
  • UNQTE, unquote
  • UPI, United Press International
  • USA, United States Army
  • USAF, United States Air Force
  • USFY, United States fiscal year
  • USG, United States Government
  • USIA, United States Information Agency
  • USIB, United States Intelligence Board
  • USIS, United States Information Service
  • U-S/M, Under Secretaries’ memorandum
  • USN, United States Navy
  • USSR, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
  • USUN, United States Mission to the United Nations
  • VN, Vietnam VOA, Voice of America VP, Vice President
  • WESTPAC, Western Pacific
  • WH, White House
  • WNRC, Washington National Records Center
  • Z, Zulu time (Greenwich Mean Time)