Office of the Historian

Abbreviations and Terms

  • AA/NESA, Bureau for Near East and South Asia, Agency for International Development
  • ABM, Anti-ballistic Missile
  • AEC, Atomic Energy Commission
  • AFRTS, Armed Forces Radio and Television Service
  • AFSOUTH, Armed Forces South
  • AH, Alexander Haig
  • AID, Agency for International Development
  • AIS, Country Director, Austria, Italy and Switzerland, Bureau of European Affairs
  • AKEL, Anorthotikon Komma Ergazo Laou (Reform Party of the Working People), Cyprus Communist Party
  • Amb., Ambassador
  • AMF, Allied Multilateral Force
  • AP, Associated Press
  • ASAP, as soon as possible
  • ASW, antisubmarine warfare
  • Backchannel, a method of communication outside normal bureaucratic procedure; the White House, for instance, used “backchannel” messages to bypass the Department of State
  • BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation
  • BCP, Bulgarian Communist Party
  • BNDD, Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, Department of Justice
  • BOB, Bureau of the Budget
  • BOP, Balance of Payments
  • C, Office of the Counselor of the Department of State
  • CA, circular airgram
  • CAB, Civil Aeronautics Board
  • CAP, Common Agricultural Policy
  • CC, Central Committee
  • CCC, Commodity Credit Corporation
  • CCMS, Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society
  • CDU, Christian Democratic Union (West Germany)
  • CEA, Council of Economic Advisers
  • CEMA, Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
  • CENTO, Central Treaty Organization
  • CES, Conference on European Security
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • CIA/ONE, Central Intelligence Agency, Office of National Estimates
  • CIEP, Council for International Economic Policy
  • CIEPDM, Council for International Economic Policy Decision Memorandum
  • CIEPSM, Council for International Economic Policy Study Memorandum
  • CINCEUR, Commander in Chief, U.S. Forces, Europe
  • CINCMEAFSA, Commander in Chief, Middle East, South Asia, and Africa South of the Sahara
  • CINCSOUTH, Commander in Chief, U.S. Forces, Southern Europe
  • CINCSTRIKE, Commander in Chief, Strike Command
  • CINCUSNAVEUR, Commander in Chief, U.S. Navy, Europe
  • CIS, Cyprus Information (Intelligence) Service
  • CNO, Chief of Naval Operations
  • Cocom, Coordinating Committee on Export Controls
  • Codel, Congressional delegation
  • COE, Council of Europe
  • Col, Colonel
  • COMECON, Council on Mutual Economic Cooperation
  • Comite, committee
  • COMSIXTHFLT, Commander in Chief, Sixth Fleet, U.S. Navy
  • CONG, Congress or congressman
  • CONGEN, Consul General
  • CONUS, continental United States
  • CP, Communist party
  • CPSU, Communist Party of the Soviet Union
  • CSCE, Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe
  • CSSR, Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
  • CTF, Carrier Task Force; also Commander Task Force
  • CU, Center Union Party (Greece); also Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department of State
  • CY, calendar year
  • D, Democrat; also Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • DATT, defense attaché
  • DCI, Director of Central Intelligence
  • DCM, Deputy Chief of Mission
  • DDCI, Deputy Director of Central Intelligence
  • DDO, Deputy Directorate for Operations
  • DDP, Deputy Directorate for Plans
  • DefAtt, Defense Attaché
  • DefMin, Minister of Defense
  • DefSec, Secretary of Defence
  • Del, delegate; delegation
  • Dept, Department of State
  • Depcirtel, circular telegram from the Department of State
  • DepDirGen, Deputy Director General
  • DepFonMin, Deputy Foreign Minister
  • DepSecDef, Deputy Secretary of Defense
  • Deptel, Department of State telegram
  • DIA, Defense Intelligence Agency
  • DirGen or DG, Director General
  • Dis or Dissem, dissemination
  • DLF, Development Loan Fund
  • DMZ, demilitarized zone
  • DOD, Department of Defense
  • DOD/ISA, Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
  • DOI, Department of the Interior
  • DOS, Department of State
  • DP, Democrat Party (Turkey)
  • DPC, Defense Planning Committee
  • DPM, Deputy Prime Minister
  • DRV, Democratic Republic of Vietnam
  • DTG, date/time/group
  • E, Bureau of Economic Affairs, Department of State
  • E/CBA, Commercial Affairs and Business Activities, Bureau of Economic Affairs
  • E/IMA, International Monetary Affairs, Bureau of Economic Affairs
  • E/ITP/EWT, Office of East West Trade, International Trade Policy, Bureau of Economic Affairs
  • E/OT/GCP, General Commercial Policy Division, Office of International Trade, International Trade Policy, Bureau of Economic Affairs
  • E/W, East/West
  • EA, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State
  • EA/VN, Office of Vietnam Affairs, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
  • EAM, Ethnikon Apeleftherikon Meteron (National Liberation Front)
  • EC, European Community
  • ECE, Economic Commission for Europe
  • ECOSOC, United Nations Economic and Social Council
  • EDA, Elliniki Dimokratiki Aristera (Greek Democratic Left)
  • EE, Eastern Europe
  • EEC, European Economic Community (Common Market)
  • EFTA, European Free Trade Association
  • ELDYK, Elliniki Dynamh Kyprou (Greek Forces in Cyprus)
  • ELR, Elliot L. Richardson
  • Emb, Embassy
  • Emboff, Embassy officer
  • Embtel, Embassy telegram
  • enosis, union
  • EOB, Executive Office Building
  • EOKA, Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston (National Organization of Cypriot Fighters)
  • ERE, Ethniki Rizopastos Enosis (National Radical Union - Greece)
  • ESC, European Security Conference
  • EST, Eastern Standard Time; also estimated
  • Eucom, European Command, U.S. Army
  • EUR, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • EUR/BRY, Country Director for Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia and Albania, Bureau of European Affairs
  • EUR/CAN, Country Director for Canada, Bureau of European Affairs
  • EUR/CHP, Country Director for Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Baltic States, Bureau of European Affairs
  • EUR/EE, Office of Eastern European Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs
  • EUR/NSC–IG, NSC Interdepartmental Group, Bureau of European Affairs
  • EUR/RPE, OECD, European Community, and Atlantic Political-Economic Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs
  • EUR/RPM, NATO and Atlantic Political-Military Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs
  • EUR/SCAN, Country Director for Scandinavia, Iceland, Finland, Bureau of European Affairs
  • EUR/SOV, Country Director for the Soviet Union, Bureau of European Affairs
  • Exdis, exclusive distribution
  • Ex-Im Bank, Export-Import Bank of the United States
  • F–4 (Phantom), twin engine turbo jet, all weather, supersonic tactical fighter bomber with two crew members
  • FAA, Foreign Assistance Act; also Federal Aviation Administration
  • FAM, Foreign Affairs Manual
  • FAS, Foreign Agricultural Service; also Foreign Area Student Program
  • FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • FBIS, Foreign Broadcast Information Service
  • FBS, Foreign Broadcasting Service
  • Fedrep, Federal Republic (of Germany)
  • FEC, Federal Executive Council (Yugoslavia); also Free Europe Committee
  • Flash, indicates message of highest priority requiring the attention of the Secretary of State
  • FM, Foreign Minister; also from
  • FMS, foreign military sales
  • FonMin, Foreign Minister
  • FonOff, Foreign Office
  • FonSec, Foreign Secretary
  • FR, France
  • FRC, Federal Records Center, Suitland, Maryland
  • FRG, Federal Republic of Germany
  • FSO, foreign service officer
  • FY, fiscal year
  • FYI, for your information
  • G, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
  • GAGS, Greek Army General Staff
  • GA, United Nations General Assembly
  • GAO, General Accounting Office
  • GATT, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
  • GDP, gross domestic product
  • GDR, German Democratic Republic
  • Gen, General
  • GER, Office of German Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • GMT, Greenwich Mean Time
  • GNP, Gross National Product
  • GOA, Government of Austria
  • GOB, Government of Bulgaria
  • GOC, Government of Cyprus; also Government of Czechoslovakia
  • GOF, Government of Finland; also Government of France
  • GOG, Government of Greece
  • GOH, Government of Hungary
  • GOI, Government of Israel; also Government of Italy; also Government of India
  • GOP, Government of Pakistan
  • GOT, Government of Turkey
  • GOY, Government of Yugoslavia
  • GOVT, government
  • GPO, Government Printing Office
  • 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
  • HICOM, high commissioner
  • HK, Henry Kissinger
  • HMG, Her Majestyʼs Government, United Kingdom
  • HNDGS, Hellenci National Defense General Staff
  • hq, headquarters
  • HR, House Resolution
  • HS, Harold Saunders; also Helmut Sonnenfeldt
  • I, Office of the Director, United States Information Agency
  • IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency
  • IBRD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, World Bank
  • ICMB, intercontinental ballistic missile
  • ICC, International Control and Supervision Commission (Vietnam)
  • ICJ, International Court of Justice
  • ICRC, International Committee of the Red Cross
  • IDA, International Development Association
  • IFI, international financial institution
  • IG, Interagency Group
  • IMF, International Monetary Fund
  • INFO, information
  • INR, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
  • INR/DDC, Office of the Deputy Director for Coordination, Bureau of Intelligence and Research
  • INR/OD, Office of the Director, Bureau of Intelligence and Research
  • INR/REA/NA, North Asia Division, Office of Research and Analysis for East Asia and Pacific, Bureau of Intelligence and Research
  • INR/RNA/NE, Near East Division, Office of Research and Analysis for Near East and South Asia, Bureau of Intelligence and Research
  • INR/RSE/EE, Eastern European Division, Office of Research and Analysis for USSR and Eastern Europe, Bureau of Intelligence and Research
  • IO, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State
  • IO/UNP, Office of United Nations Political Affairs, Bureau of International Organization Affairs
  • IOGA, industry organized, government approved
  • IQ, Important Question
  • IRBM, intermediate range ballistic missile
  • IRG, Interdepartmental Regional Group; also Interdepartmental Review Group
  • ISA, Office of International Security Affairs, Department of Defense
  • IZT, Interzonal Trade
  • J, Office of the Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Department of State
  • J/PM, Office of Politico-Military Affairs Office of the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • JCSM, Joint Chiefs of Staff memorandum
  • JP, Justice Party (Turkey)
  • JUSMMAT, Joint U.S. Military Mission for Aid to Turkey
  • JUSO, Jungsozialist
  • K, Kissinger
  • KYP, Kendriki Yperesia Pleroforion (Greek Intelligence Service)
  • L, Legal Adviser of the Department of State
  • L/EUR, Assistant Legal Adviser for European Affairs
  • LCC, League of Communists of Croatia
  • LCY, League of Communists of Yugoslavia
  • LDC, Less Developed Country
  • Limdis, limited distribution
  • LOC, lines of communication
  • LS & E, long supply and excess
  • LTG, Lieutenant General
  • M, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management
  • MAAG, Military Advisory Assistance Group
  • MAC, Military Assistance Command
  • MAP, Military Assistance/Aid Program
  • MBFR, Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions
  • MC, memorandum of conversation
  • ME, Middle East
  • Memcon, memorandum of conversation
  • MFA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • MFN, Most Favored Nation
  • MIL, military
  • MilAd, military adviser
  • MilAtt, military attaché
  • MilPers, military personnel
  • Min, minister
  • MinDef, minister of defense
  • MinEd, minister of education
  • MinInt, Minister of the Interior
  • MisOff, mission officer
  • MLF, multilateral force
  • mm, millimeter
  • MOD, Minister of Defense
  • MOFA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • MR, military region; also memorandum for the record
  • MRBM, medium-range ballistic missile
  • MSA, Mutual Security Agreement
  • MT, metric ton
  • MTG, meeting
  • NAC, North Atlantic Council
  • NARA, National Archives and Records Administration
  • NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • NE, northeast
  • NEA, Bureau of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, Department of State
  • NEA/RA, Office of the Director for Regional Affairs, Bureau of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs
  • NEA/CYP, Country Director for Cyprus, Bureau of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs
  • NEA/GRK, Country Director for Greece, Bureau of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs
  • NEA/TUR, Country Director for Turkey, Bureau of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs
  • NEM, New Economic Mechanism (Hungary)
  • NIC, National Intelligence Council
  • NIE, National Intelligence Estimate
  • NLF, National Liberation Front (Vietnam)
  • Nodis, no distribution (other than to persons indicated)
  • Noforn, no foreign dissemination
  • NPT, Non Proliferation Treaty
  • NSA, National Security Agency
  • NSAM, National Security Action Memorandum
  • NSC, National Security Council
  • NSCIG, National Security Council Interagency Review Group
  • NSCIG/NEA, National Security Council Interagency Review Group, Near Eastern Affairs
  • NSDM, National Security Decision Memorandum
  • NSF, National Science Foundation
  • NSSM, National Security Study Memorandum
  • NVA/VC, North Vietnam/Viet Cong
  • NVN, North Vietnam
  • OAS, Organization of American States
  • 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
  • OCI, Office of Current Intelligence
  • OECD, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
  • OEP, Office of Emergency Preparedness
  • OMB, Office of Management and Budget
  • OPIC, Overseas Private Investment Corporation
  • OSD, Office of the Secretary of Defense
  • OSD/ISA, Office of the Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
  • OST, Office of Science and Technology
  • OUSD, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense
  • P, Bureau of Public Affairs, Department of State; also President
  • PA, purchase authorization
  • PanAm, Pan American Airways
  • PARA, paragraph; also Policy Analysis Resource Allocation
  • PAO, Public Affairs Officer
  • PD, presidential determination
  • PermRep, permanent representative
  • PFIAB, Presidentʼs Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
  • PKF, peacekeeping force
  • PL, Public Law
  • PL–480, Public Law 480 (Food for Peace)
  • PM, Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs, Department of State; also Prime Minister
  • PM/ISO, Office of International Security Operations, Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs
  • PM/MAS, Office of Military Assistance and Sales, Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs
  • PMF, Peter M. Flanigan
  • PNG, persona non grata
  • Pol, political
  • Polad, political advisor
  • PolOff, political officer
  • PolSec, political secretary
  • Polto, series indicator for telegrams from the U.S. Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • POW, prisoner of war
  • PRC, Peopleʼs Republic of China
  • PRES, the President
  • PriMin, Prime Minister
  • PRG, Provisional Revolutionary Government (Vietnam)
  • PZPR, Polish Communist Party
  • R, Republican
  • RC, Revolutionary Council (Greece)
  • RCA, Radio Corporation of America
  • RCP, Romanian Communist Party
  • Ref, reference
  • Reftel, Reference telegram
  • rep, representative
  • res, resolution
  • RFE, Radio Free Europe
  • RFEF, Radio Free Europe Fund, Inc.
  • RL, Radio Liberty
  • RLC, Radio Liberty Committee, Inc.
  • RMN or RN, Richard Nixon
  • RNC, Republican National Committee
  • ROC, Republic of China
  • RPP, Republican Peopleʼs Party (Turkey)
  • rpt, repeat
  • RVN, Republic of Vietnam
  • RWP, Romanian political party
  • 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/S, Executive Secretariat of the Department of State
  • S/S–O, Operations Center, Executive Secretariat of the Department of State
  • S/S–S, Secretariat Staff, Executive Secretariat of the Department of State
  • S&T, science and technology
  • SACEUR, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
  • SALT, Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
  • SC, United Nations Security Council
  • SCI, Bureau of International Scientific and Technological Affairs, Department of State
  • SE, southeast
  • SecDel, Secretaryʼs Delegation
  • Secdef, Secretary of Defense
  • SecGen, Secretary General
  • Secstate or Secy, Secretary of State
  • Secto, series indicator for telegrams from the Secretary of State while away from Washington
  • SEK, Synomospondia Ergation Kypron (Confederation of Labor of Cyprus/Confederation of Cypriot Workers)
  • Secy Gen, Secretary General
  • Septel, separate telegram
  • SFRC, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
  • SIG, Senior Interdepartmental Group (NSC)
  • SITREP, situations report
  • SOV, Office of Eastern Soviet Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs
  • SRG, Senior Review Group
  • Subj., subject
  • SVN, South Vietnam
  • TA, technical assistance
  • TAC, tactical; also tactical air command
  • TAF, Turkish Air Force
  • TCC, Troop Contributing (to Vietnam) Countries
  • TCPA, Turkish Cypriot Provisional Administration TEA, Trade Expansion Act
  • Telcon, telephone conversation
  • TGS, Turkish General Staff
  • TLP, Turkish Labor Party (Marxist)
  • TMT, Turk Mukavemet Teskilati (Turkish Resistance Organization - Cyprus)
  • TMO, Turkish Soil Products Office
  • Toaid, series indicator for telegrams to the Agency for International Development
  • 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
  • TS, top secret
  • TURDYK, Turkish treaty contingent
  • U, Office of the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs; also unclassified
  • U/DM, National Security Council Under Secretaries Committee Decision Memorandum
  • U/SM, National Security Council Under Secretaries Committee Study Memorandum
  • UAJ, U. Alexis Johnson
  • UAR, United Arab Republic
  • UCC, Universal Copyright Convention
  • UK, United Kingdom
  • UN, United Nations
  • UNCD, United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs
  • UNCIVPOL, United Nations Civilian Police
  • UNCTAD, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  • UNFICYP, United Nations Force in Cyprus
  • UNGA, United Nations General Assembly
  • UNP, Office of United Nations Programs, Bureau of International Organization Affairs
  • UNPKF, United Nations Peacekeeping Force
  • UNSC, United Nations Security Council
  • UNSYG, United Nations Secretary General
  • UPI, United Press International
  • US, United States
  • USA, United States Army
  • USAF, United States Air Force
  • USAFE, United States Air Force, Europe
  • USAID, United States Agency for International Development
  • USAREUR, U.S. Army, Europe
  • USARMA, U.S. Army Attaché
  • U.S.C., United State Code
  • USCINCEUR, U.S. Commander in Chief, Europe
  • USDA, United States Department of Agriculture
  • USDOCOSOUTH, United States Documents Officer, Allied Forces, Southeastern Europe
  • USEC, United States Enrichment Corporation
  • USG, United States Government
  • USIA, United States Information Agency
  • USIB, United States Intelligence Board
  • USINFO, United States Information Service
  • USIS, United States Information Service (overseas branches of USIA)
  • USMC, United States Marine Corps
  • USN, United States Navy
  • USNATO, series indicator for telegram from the Representative at the North Atlantic Council to the Department of State
  • USS, United States Ship
  • USSR, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
  • UST, United States Treaty
  • USUN, United States Mission to the United Nations
  • VC, Vietcong
  • VIP, very important person
  • Vipto, series indicator for telegrams from Vice President Agnew
  • VN, Vietnam
  • VOA, Voice of America
  • VP, Vice President
  • Waldorf, Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York
  • WB, World Bank
  • WEU, Western European Union
  • WH, White House
  • WHCF, White House Central Files
  • WHO, White House Office (series indicator for White House messages)
  • WP, Warsaw Pact
  • WPR, William P. Rogers
  • WSAG, Washington Special Actions Group
  • XMB, Export-Import Bank
  • Z, Zulu (Greenwich Mean Time)