Office of the Historian

Abbreviations and Terms

  • A–1 (Skyrider), single engine propeller-driven attack plane with one crew member
  • A/A, anti-aircraft
  • A/AID, Office of the Administrator, Agency for International Development
  • AA, Afro-Asian
  • AAA, anti-aircraft artillery
  • AAT, Additional Assistance to Thailand
  • ABF, attacks by fire
  • ABM, anti-ballistic missile
  • ACA, Office of Asian Communist Affairs, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State
  • ACDA, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
  • ACM, Air Chief Marshal
  • ADB, Asian Development Bank
  • ADOA, Air Defense Operations Agreement
  • AEC, Atomic Energy Commission
  • AF, Air Force, also Bureau of African Affairs, Department of State
  • AFB, air force base
  • AFP, Agence France Press
  • AG, Attorney General
  • AH or AMH, Alexander Meigs Haig, Jr.
  • AID, Agency for International Development
  • AID/ASIA/NE, Office of Near Eastern Affairs, Bureau for Asia, Agency for International Development
  • AID/NESA, Bureau for Near East and South Asia, Agency for International Development
  • AK–47, Soviet-designed Kalasknikov assault weapon
  • Amb, Ambassador
  • AMCITS, American citizens
  • APC, armored personnel carrier or Accelerated Pacification Campaign
  • ARA–LA, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs (State), Bureau for Latin America (AID)
  • Arc Light, code name for U.S.B–52 bombing strikes in Southeast Asia
  • ARD, Thai Accelerated Rural Development
  • ARDF, Aerial Radio Direction Finding
  • ARDL, Accelerated Rural Development Loan
  • ARDP, Accelerated Rural Development Program
  • ARVN, Army of the Republic of (South) Vietnam
  • ASA, Association of Southeast Asia
  • ASAP, as soon as possible
  • ASD, Assistant Secretary of Defense
  • ASEAN, Association of Southeast Asian Nations
  • ASPAC, Asian and Pacific Council
  • ASW, anti-submarine warfare
  • B–52, United States Air Force strategic bomber
  • Backchannel, a method of communication outside normal bureaucratic procedure; the
  • White House, for instance, used “backchannel” messages to bypass the Department of State
  • BNDD, Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, Department of Justice
  • BOB, Bureau of the Budget
  • BPP, Border Patrol Police (Thailand) XXIII
  • C–47, propeller driven twin engine low wing aircraft used for transportation of troops and/or equipment
  • C–123, high wing 2 prop engine transport aircraft
  • C–130, United States Air Force transport plane
  • C–141, high wing 4 turbo prop engine aircraft used for rapid transportation of troops and/or equipment
  • C, Office of the Counselor of the Department of State
  • CAP, Combined Action Platoon
  • CASP, Country Analysis and Strategy Paper
  • CCC, Commodity Credit Corporation
  • CEA, Council of Economic Advisers
  • CEG, College Editor’s Guild
  • CENTO, Central Treaty Organization
  • CF, contingency funds
  • CH–47, heavy transport helicopter (“Chinook”)
  • Chicom(s), Chinese Communist(s)
  • CHJUSMAG, Chief, Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group
  • CHMAAG, Chief, Military Assistance Advisory Group
  • CI, counterinsurgency
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • CIA/ONE, Central Intelligence Agency, Office of National Estimates
  • CIAP, Inter-American Committee for the Alliance for Progress
  • CIDG, Citizens’ Irregular Defense Group
  • CIF, Chinese Irregular Forces
  • CINC, Commander in Chief
  • CINCMEAFSA, Commander in Chief, Middle East, South Asia and Africa South of the Sahara
  • CINCPAC, Commander in Chief, Pacific
  • CINCPACAF, Commander in Chief, Pacific Air Force
  • CINCPACFLT, Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet
  • CINCPACREPPHIL, Commander in Chief, Pacific’s Representative in the Philippines
  • CINCSTRIKE, Commander in Chief, Strike Command
  • CINCUNK, Commander in Chief of United Nations Forces in Korea
  • CINCUSARPAC, Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Pacific
  • CIP, commodities import program
  • CJCS, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • CL, classified
  • CM, Chairman’s (of JCS) memorandum
  • CMC, Commandant of the Marine Corps
  • CND, United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs
  • CNO, Chief of Naval Operations
  • Codel, Congressional delegation
  • COMECON, Council on Mutual Economic Assistance
  • Comint, communications intelligence
  • Comite, committee
  • COMNAVBASE Subic, Commander, Naval Base, Subic Bay
  • COMUSMACTHAI, Commander in Chief, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Thailand
  • COMUSMACV, Commander in Chief, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam
  • ConCon, Philippine Constitutional Convention
  • CONGEN, Consulate General
  • CONUS, Continental United States
  • CORDS, Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support
  • COSVN, Central Office for South Vietnam
  • CPDC, Central Pacification and Development Council
  • CPP/ML, Communist Party of the Philippines/Marxist-Leninist
  • CPT, Thai Communist Party
  • CSA, Chief of Staff of the Army
  • CSAF, Chief of Staff of the Air Force
  • CSM, Philippine Christian Socialist Movement
  • CSOC, Thai Counter Insurgency Operations Command
  • CST, Central Standard Time
  • CT, Thai Communist Insurgents; also Country Team
  • CTZ, corps tactical zone
  • CY, calendar year
  • D, Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • D/INR, Director, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
  • DA, Department of the Army
  • DAO, Defense Attaché Office
  • DATT, Defense Attaché
  • DCI, Director of Central Intelligence
  • DCM, Deputy Chief of Mission
  • DDC, Office of the Deputy Director for Coordination, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
  • DDCI, Deputy Director of Central Intelligence
  • DDI, Deputy Directorate for Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency
  • DDO/EA, Deputy Directorate of Operations, East Asia, Central Intelligence Agency
  • DefSec, Defense Secretary
  • del, delegate; delegation
  • Delto, delegation to (telegram series indicator from the Delegation to the Paris Peace Talks on Vietnam)
  • Depcirtel, circular telegram from the Department of State
  • DepFonMin, deputy foreign minister
  • Deptel, telegram from the Department of State
  • DEYMO, Philippine Democratic Youth Movement
  • DGNP, Director-General National Police
  • DIA, Defense Intelligence Agency
  • DirGen or DG, Director General
  • Dissem, dissemination
  • DL, development loan
  • DMZ, demilitarized zone
  • DOD, Department of Defense
  • DOD/ISA, Department of Defense, International Security Affairs
  • DOS, Department of State
  • DPM, Deputy Prime Minister
  • DPRC, Defense Program Review Committee
  • DPRG, Defense Program Review Group
  • DRV or DRVN, Democratic Republic of Vietnam
  • DTG, date/time/group
  • E, Bureau of Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • E/ORF/ICD, Office of International Commodities, International Resources and Food Policy,
  • Bureau of Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • EA, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State
  • EA/ACA, Office of Asian Communist Affairs, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State
  • EA/IND, Office of Indonesian Affairs, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State
  • EA/PHIL, Office of Philippines Affairs, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State
  • EA/RA, Office of Regional Affairs, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State
  • EA/TB, Office of Thailand and Burma Affairs, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State
  • EAP, former designation for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State
  • EC–121, unarmed, four engine propeller driven reconnaissance aircraft
  • ECAFE, United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East
  • ECOSOC, United Nations Economic and Social Council
  • ELR, Elliot L. Richardson
  • Emb, Embassy
  • Emboff, Embassy officer
  • Embtel, Embassy telegram
  • EOB, Executive Office Building
  • EST, Eastern Standard Time, also estimated
  • EUR, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EUR/SOV, Office of Soviet Union Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • Exdis, exclusive distribution
  • Ex-Im, Export-Import Bank of Washington
  • F–4 (Phantom), twin engine turbo jet, all weather, supersonic tactical fighter bomber with two crew members
  • F, fighter
  • FAC, Foreign Assets Control
  • FANK, Forces Armées Nationales Khmeres (Khmer National Armed Forces)
  • FAO, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
  • FAR or FARK, Forces Armées Royales Khmeres (Royal Khmer Armed Forces)
  • FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • FBIS, Foreign Broadcast Information Service
  • FDF, Free Democratic Forces (of South Vietnam)
  • FEOP, Foreign Exchange Operations Fund
  • FFF, Philippine Federation of Free Farmers
  • Flash, indicates message of highest priority requiring the attention of the Secretary of State
  • FM, from; also Foreign Minister
  • FMS, Foreign Military Sales
  • FODAG, United States Mission to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture
  • FonMin, Foreign Minister
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • FonSec, Foreign Secretary
  • FSO, Foreign Service Officer
  • FWF, Free World Forces
  • FY, fiscal year
  • FYI, for your information
  • GA, United Nations General Assembly
  • GAO, General Accounting Office
  • GATT, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
  • GDP, Gross Domestic Product
  • Gen, general
  • GMT, Greenwich Mean Time
  • GNP, Gross National Product
  • GOC, Government of Cambodia
  • GOI, Government of Indonesia
  • GOJ, Government of Japan
  • GOP, Government of the Philippines
  • GRC, Government of the Republic of China
  • GSA, General Services Administration
  • GUB, Government of Burma
  • GVN, Government of Vietnam
  • GVR, Government of the Republic of Vietnam
  • H, Bureau of Congressional Relations, Department of State
  • HAK, Henry A. Kissinger
  • H.E., His Excellency
  • HEW, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
  • HFAC, House Foreign Affairs Committee
  • HMG, Her Majesty’s Government, United Kingdom
  • hq, headquarters
  • HR, House Resolution
  • HRH, His Royal Highness
  • Huks, Hukbong Magpapalaya Sa Banyan (paramilitary arm of Philippines Communist Party)
  • I, Office of the Director, United States Information Agency
  • IBRD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, World Bank
  • ICBM, Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
  • ICC, International Control and Supervision Commission
  • ICJ, International Court of Justice
  • ICRC, International Committee, Red Cross
  • IFI, International Financial Institution
  • IG, Interdepartmental Group
  • IGGI, Intergovernmental Group on Indonesia
  • IMF, International Monetary Fund
  • INCB, International Narcotics Control Board
  • INR, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
  • INR/DCC, Office of the Deputy Director for Coordination, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
  • INR/DDR/REA, Office of Research and Analysis for East Asia and Pacific, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
  • IO, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State
  • IR–8, rice strain developed at the International Rice Research Institute
  • IRBM, Intermediate-range Ballistic Missile
  • IRG, Interdepartmental Regional Group
  • ISA, Office of International Security Affairs, Department of Defense
  • ITAC, Interagency Textile Advisory Committee
  • J, Office of the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
  • J/PM, Office of Politico-Military Affairs in the Office of the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • JCSM, Joint Chiefs of Staff Memorandum
  • JHH, John Herbert Holdridge
  • JUSMAG, Joint United States Military Group
  • JUSPAO, Joint United States Public Affairs Office
  • K, Kissinger
  • kg, kilogram
  • KHR, Khmer Republic
  • KIP, Lao currency unit
  • KK, Khmer Krom
  • KL, Kuala Lumpur
  • KMT, Kuomintang
  • KW, kilowatt
  • L, Legal Adviser of the Department of State
  • LA, Latin America
  • LDC, less developed country
  • LDX, long distance xerography
  • Limdis, limited distribution
  • LOC, lines of communication
  • LP, Philippines Liberal Party
  • LPF, Lao Patriotic Front (Pathet Lao)
  • LTA, Long-Term Agreement (textiles)
  • LTG, Lieutenant General
  • M–1, World War II-era U.S. military rifle
  • M–14, semi automatic U.S. military rifle
  • M–16, U.S. military field rifle
  • M–113, armored personnel carrier
  • M, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management
  • mm, millimeter
  • MAAG, Military Assistance Advisory Group
  • MAC, Military Assistance Command
  • MACTHAI, Military Assistance Command, Thailand
  • MACV, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam
  • MAP, Military Assistance Program
  • MASF, Military Assistance Service Funded
  • MBA, Military Base Agreement
  • MemCon, memorandum of conversation
  • MENU, code name for U.S. bombings in Cambodia
  • Meo (Hmong), mountain tribes in Laos that fought on the U.S. side during the Vietnam War
  • MFN, Most Favored Nation
  • MIL, military
  • MILAD, military adviser
  • MinDef, Minister of Defense
  • Misoff, Mission Officer
  • ML, military list
  • MOD, Ministry of Defense
  • MP, Member of Parliament
  • MR, military region or memorandum for the record
  • MT, metric ton
  • NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • NBC, National Broadcasting Company
  • NCO, non-commissioned officer
  • NE, northeast
  • NEA, Bureau of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, Department of State
  • NEC, Thai National Executive Council
  • NESA, Bureau for Near East and South Asia, Agency for International Development
  • Niact, night action
  • NIC, National Intelligence Council
  • NIE, National Intelligence Estimate
  • NLF, National Liberation Front
  • NLFSVN, National Liberation Front of South Vietnam
  • NOC, National Operations Council
  • Nodis, no distribution (other than to persons indicated)
  • Nodis/Khmer, special Department of State channel established to handle issues such as third country military assistance to Cambodia
  • Noforn, no foreign dissemination
  • Notal, not received by all addressees
  • NPA, New People’s Army
  • NSA, National Security Agency
  • NSAM, National Security Action Memorandum
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • NSC IG/EA, National Security Council Interdepartmental Group on East Asia
  • NSDF, National Socialist Democratic Front
  • NSDM, National Security Decision Memorandum
  • NSF, National Salvation Front (of South Vietnam)
  • NSSM, National Security Study Memorandum
  • NUSP, National Union of Students of the Philippines
  • NVA (also NVNA), North Vietnamese Army
  • NVA/VC, North Vietnam/Viet Cong
  • NVN, North Vietnam
  • NZ, New Zealand
  • O & M, operations and maintenance
  • OASD, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense
  • OASD/ISA, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
  • OBE, overtaken by events
  • OECD, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
  • OEP, Office of Emergency Preparedness
  • OMB, Office of Management and Budget
  • ONE, Office of National Estimates (CIA)
  • OPIC, Overseas Private Investment Corporation
  • OSD, Office of the Secretary of Defense
  • OSD/ISA, Office of the Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
  • OUSD, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense
  • P, Bureau of Public Affairs, Department of State, also President
  • PA, purchase authorization
  • PACAF, Pacific Air Force
  • PACFLT, Pacific Fleet
  • PACOM, Pacific Command
  • PanAm, Pan-American Airways
  • PAO, Public Affairs Officer
  • Para, paragraph; also Policy Analysis Resource Allocation
  • PARU, Police Aerial Resupply Unit (Thailand, paramilitary arm of BBP)
  • PAVN, People’s Army of Vietnam
  • PBR, river boat patrol
  • PD, presidential determination
  • PDB, President’s Daily Brief
  • PDJ, Plain of Jars (Plaine des Jarres)
  • PermRep, permanent representative
  • PFIAB, President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
  • PHILCAG, Philippine Civil Action Group
  • PHILCAGV, Philippine Civil Action Group-Vietnam
  • PI, Philippine Islands
  • PKI, Partai Komunis Indonesia (Indonesian Communist Party)
  • PKP, Philippine Communist Party
  • PL, Public Law; also Pathet Lao
  • PL–480, Public Law 480 (Food for Peace)
  • PLA, People’s Liberation Army
  • PM, Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs, Department of State; also prime minister
  • PM/ISP, Office of International Security Policy and Planning, Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs, Department of State
  • PMG, Politico-Military Group
  • PNG, persona non grata
  • POL, petroleum, oil, and lubricants
  • POLAD, Political Adviser
  • PolOff, Political Officer
  • POW, prisoner of war
  • PPP, Philippines Peoples’ Progressive Party
  • PR, public relations
  • Prairie Fire (PF), code name for U.S.-led South Vietnamese reconnaissance teams sent into Laos to seek targets for U.S. bombing operations of the Ho Chi Minh Trail and to assess bombing damage
  • PRC, People’s Republic of China
  • PRG, Provisional Revolutionary Government
  • PriMin, Prime Minister
  • PSDF, People’s Self Defense Force
  • PSYOP(s), psychological operation(s)
  • QTE, quote
  • R & D, research and development
  • RCD, Organization of Regional Cooperation for Development
  • RCT, Regimental Combat Team
  • RD, rural development
  • Recce, reconnaissance
  • reftel, reference telegram
  • rep, representative
  • res, resolution
  • RF/PF, Regional Forces/Popular Forces
  • RG, Record Group, also Review Group
  • RKG, Royal Khmer (Cambodian) Government
  • RLA, Royal Lao Army
  • RLAF, Royal Lao Air Force, also Royal Lao Armed Forces
  • RLG, Royal Lao Government
  • RLGAF, Royal Lao Government Armed Forces
  • RMN or RN, Richard Nixon
  • ROC, Republic of China
  • ROK, Republic of Korea
  • ROVN, Republic of Vietnam
  • RTA, Royal Thai Army
  • RTAF, Royal Thai Air Force
  • RTARF, Royal Thai Armed Forces
  • RTARFRV, Royal Thai Armed Forces Representation-Vietnam
  • RTG, Royal Thai Government
  • RTN, Royal Thai Navy
  • RVN, Republic of Vietnam
  • RVNAF, Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces
  • S, Office of the Secretary of State
  • S/AL, Ambassador at Large
  • S/NM, Office of the Coordinator for International Narcotics Matters, Department of State
  • S/PC, Planning and Coordination Staff, Department of State
  • S/PRS, Office of Press Relations, Department of State
  • S/S, Executive Secretariat of the Department of State
  • S/S–S, Secretariat Staff, Executive Secretariat of the Department of State
  • SA, supporting assistance
  • SAC, Strategic Air Command
  • SALT, Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
  • SAM, surface-to-air missile
  • SAR, search and rescue missions
  • SARG, Syrian Arab Republic Government
  • SC, United Nations Security Council
  • SCI, Bureau of International Scientific and Technological Affairs, Department of State
  • SCI/EN, Office of Environmental Affairs, Bureau of International Scientific and Technological Affairs, Department of State
  • SE, southeast
  • SEA, Southeast Asia
  • SEACOORD, Southeast Asia Coordinating Committee
  • SEAMEC, Southeast Asia Monetary Exchange Council
  • SEATO, South East Asian Treaty Organization
  • Secdef, Secretary of Defense
  • Secstate, Secretary of State
  • Secto, series indicator for telegrams from the Secretary of State while away from Washington
  • septel, separate telegram
  • SFRC, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
  • SGU, Special Guerrilla Units
  • Sierra Romeo, code name for Thai artillery units in Laos
  • SIG, Senior Interdepartmental Group
  • SIGINT, signals intelligence
  • SITREP, situation report
  • SLAT, Supply and Logistical Agreement
  • SNIE, Special National Intelligence Estimate
  • SNO, Special Narcotics Organization, Thailand
  • SOFA, Status of Forces Agreement
  • SOP, standard operating procedure
  • Sov, Soviet Union
  • SPT, Saha Pracha Thai (United Thai Peoples’ Party)
  • SR, strategic reserve
  • SR–71, U.S. high altitude reconnaissance aircraft
  • SRG, Senior Review Group
  • STAFD, Strengthening Thai Armed Forces for Defense
  • Steel Tiger, U.S. Air Force-Navy interdiction of North Vietnamese infiltration routes in southern Laos
  • Subj, subject
  • SVN, South Vietnam
  • SYG, United Nations Secretary-General
  • T–28, single engine propeller driven 1950s era trainer extensively modified as counterinsurgency aircraft
  • TA, technical assistance
  • TAC, tactical, also Tactical Air Command
  • TACAIR, tactical air
  • TACS, Tactical Air Control System
  • TASS, Telegraphnoye Agentsvo Sovetskogo Soyuza (Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union)
  • TC, technical cooperation
  • TCC, Troop Contributing (to Vietnam) Countries
  • TDY, temporary duty
  • TKV, Thai Khmer Volunteers
  • Toaid, series indicator for telegrams to the Agency for International Development
  • Todel, series indicator for telegrams to the delegation at the Paris Peace Talks
  • TOR, terms of reference
  • Tosec, series indicator for telegrams sent to the Secretary of State while outside of Washington
  • Tosit, to the White House Situation Room
  • TPLAF, Thai Peoples’ Liberation Armed Forces
  • TS, top secret
  • U, Office of the Under Secretary of State; also unclassified
  • U/SM, Under Secretaries’ Memorandum
  • UAR, United Arab Republic
  • UH, utility helicopter (Huey)
  • UK, United Kingdom of Great Britain and North Ireland
  • UN, United Nations
  • UNCURK, United Nations Commission for the Unification and Rehabilitation of Korea
  • UNGA, United Nations General Assembly
  • UNSC, United Nations Security Council
  • UNSTO, United Nations Truce Supervision Organization
  • UPI, United Press International
  • US, United States
  • USA, United States of America
  • USAF, United States Air Force
  • USAID, United States Agency for International Development
  • U.S.C., United States Code
  • USDA, United States Department of Agriculture
  • USDAO, United States Defense Attaché Office
  • USG, United States Government
  • USIA, United States Information Agency
  • USINFO, United States Information Service
  • USIS, United States Information Service (overseas branches of USIA)
  • USMC, United States Marine Corps
  • USN, United States Navy
  • USOM, United States Operations Mission
  • USSR, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
  • UST, United States Treaty
  • USUN, United States Mission to the United Nations
  • VA, Veteran’s Administration
  • VC, Vietcong
  • VC/NVA, Vietcong/North Vietnamese
  • VCI, Viet Cong Infrastructure
  • VN, Vietnam
  • VNAF, Vietnamese Air Force
  • VOLAGS, voluntary agencies
  • VP, Vice President
  • VSSG, Vietnam Special Studies Group
  • WESTPAC, Commander, Western Pacific
  • WH, White House
  • WHO, White House Office (series indicator for White House messages)
  • WHSR, White House Situation Room
  • WNRC, Washington National Records Center
  • WPR, William P. Rogers
  • WSAG, Washington Special Actions Group
  • Z, Zulu (Greenwich Mean Time)