Office of the Historian

Abbreviations and Terms

  • ACDA, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
  • AF, Bureau of African Affairs, Department of State
  • AF/C, Office of Central African Affairs, Bureau of African Affairs, Department of State
  • AF/AFI, Office of Inter-African Affairs, Bureau of African Affairs, Department of State
  • AF/CM, Country Director for Central Africa, Malagasy and Mauritius, Bureau of African Affairs, Department of State
  • AF/CW, Country Director for West Central Africa, Bureau of African Affairs, Department of State
  • AF/E, Office of Eastern and Southern African Affairs, Bureau of African Affairs, Department of State
  • AF/RA, Office of Regional Affairs, Bureau of African Affairs, Department of State
  • AFCC, Armed Forces Coordinating Committee (Ethiopia)
  • AFDB, African Development Bank
  • AID, Agency for International Development
  • AMCIT, American citizen
  • APIL, African People’s Independence League
  • ASW, Anti-Submarine Warfare
  • BNA, Office of British Commonwealth and Northern European Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • B/P, Balance of Payments
  • BSO, Black September Organization
  • BP, British Petroleum
  • CAR, Central African Republic
  • CCD, Conference of the Committee on Disarmament
  • CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
  • CILSS, Comité Inter-Etate pour la Lutte contre la Sécheresse au Sahel (Interstate Committee for the Fight against the Drought in the Sahel Region)
  • CINCEUR, Commander-in-chief, Europe
  • CINCUSNAVEUR, Commander-in-chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe
  • CJCS, Chairman, Joint Chief of Staff
  • CNO, Chief naval officer
  • COMIDEASTFOR, Commander, Middle East Forces
  • COMNAVTEL, Commander, Naval Telecommunications Command
  • DAC, Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
  • DCM, Deputy Chief of Mission
  • DIA, Defense Intelligence Agency
  • DIRG, Ethiopian Military Junta (see EPMG)
  • DIRNSA, Director of the National Security Agency
  • DOD, Department of Defense
  • EB, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, Department of State
  • ECA,Economic Commission for Africa (United Nations)
  • ELF, Eritrean Liberation Front
  • Emboff, Embassy Officer
  • EPMG, Ethiopian Provisional Military Government
  • EPRP, Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party
  • EUR, Bureau of European Affairs, Department of State
  • Exdis, Exclusive Distribution
  • EXIM, Export-import
  • FAA, Foreign Assistance Act
  • FAO, Food and Agricultural Organization (United Nations)
  • FCO, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, United Kingdom
  • FLEC, Front of Liberation of the State of Cabinda
  • FMG, Federal Military Government (Nigeria)
  • FMS, Foreign Military Sales
  • FMSA, Foreign Military Sales Act
  • FNLA, Front National de Libération de l’Angola (National Front for the Liberation of Angola)
  • FRELIMO, Mozambique Liberation Front
  • FRG, Federal Republic of Germany
  • FROLINAT, Front de la Liberation Nationale (National Liberation Front, Chad)
  • GOF, Government of France
  • GOIC, Government of the Ivory Coast
  • GOK, Government of Kenya
  • GOP, Government of Portugal
  • GOS, Government of Sudan
  • GOU, Government of Uganda
  • GOZ, Government of Zaire
  • GRAE, Government in Exile (Angola)
  • GRB, Government of the Republic of Burundi
  • GSDR, Government of the Somali Democratic Republic
  • H, Bureau of Legislative Affairs, Department of State
  • HAK, Henry A. Kissinger
  • HFAC, House (of Representatives) Foreign Affairs Committee
  • HICOM, High Commissioner
  • HIM, His Imperial Majesty (Ethiopia’s Haile Selassie)
  • HM, His Majesty
  • HMG, Her Majesty’s Government (UK)
  • HQ, Headquarters
  • IBRD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank)
  • ICFTU, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
  • ICJ, International Court of Justice
  • ICRC, International Committee of the Red Cross
  • IDA, International Development Association
  • IEG, Imperial Ethiopian Government
  • IEGF, Imperial Ethiopian Government Forces
  • IFAD, International Fund for Agricultural Development
  • IMF, International Monetary Fund
  • INR, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
  • INR/DDC, Deputy Director for Coordination, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
  • INR/RAF, Office of Research and Analysis for Africa, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
  • IO, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State
  • IRG, Interdepartmental Regional Group
  • IRG/AF, Interdepartmental Regional Group, Africa
  • ISA, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
  • JANAF, Joint Army, Navy, Air Force
  • JCA, Joint Church Aid
  • JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • JCSM, Joint Chiefs of Staff Memorandum
  • JTF, Joint Task Force
  • KANU, Kenya African National Union
  • L, Office of the Legal Adviser, Department of State
  • L/AF, Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for African Affairs, Department of State
  • LDC, Lesser Developed Country
  • LGTA, General League of Angolan Workers
  • L/UNA, Assistant Legal Adviser for United Nations Affairs, Department of State
  • M, Office of the Under Secretary of State for Management
  • MAAG, Military Assistance Advisory Group
  • MAP, Military Assistance Program
  • MATS, Military Air Transport Service
  • MFA, Movimento das Forças Armadas (Armed Forces Movement, Portugal)
  • MIG, A.I. Mikoyan-M.I. Gurevich (Soviet fighter aircraft named for designers Mikoyan and Gurevich)
  • MilGovs, Military Governments
  • MinDef, Minister of Defense
  • MinExtAff, Minister of External Affairs
  • MinInfo, Minister of Information
  • MOD, Ministry of Defense (UK)
  • MPLA, Movimento Popular de Libertacao de Angola (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola)
  • MTAT, Military Technical Advisory Team (Zaire)
  • NAACP, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
  • NAG, Non-Aligned Group
  • NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • NEA, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Department of State
  • NEP, North Eastern Province (Somalia)
  • NER, North East Region (Kenya)
  • NFD, Northern Frontier District (Kenya)
  • NFZ, Nuclear Free Zone
  • NIE, National Intelligence Estimate
  • NIO, National Intelligence Office
  • NLC, National Liberation Council (Ghana)
  • NMG, National Military Government (Nigeria)
  • Noforn, No Foreign Dissemination
  • NOTAL, not received by all addressees
  • NPP, National Policy Paper
  • NPZ, Non-proliferation zone
  • 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
  • OAU, Organization of African Unity
  • OCAM, Organization Commune Africaine et Malagache (African-Malagasy Common Organization)
  • OCI, Office of Current Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency
  • ODMA, Office of the Director of Military Assistance, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
  • OECD, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
  • OEP, Office of Emergency Planning
  • OMB, Office of Management and Budget
  • ONE, Office of National Estimates, Central Intelligence Agency
  • OPEC, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
  • OPIC, Overseas Private Investment Corporation
  • OSD, Office of the Secretary of Defense
  • P, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Political Affairs
  • PA, Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
  • PAC, Pan African Congress
  • PAIGC, African Party for the Independence of Portuguese Guinea and the Cape Verde Islands
  • PC, Peace Corps
  • PDRY, People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen
  • PCC/ZAPU, People’s Caretaker Council/Zimbabwe African People’s Union
  • P.L., Public Law
  • PLO, Palestine Liberation Organization
  • PM, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Department of State
  • PMAC, Provisional Military Administrative Council (Ethiopia)
  • PNG, persona non grata
  • POL, petroleum, oil, lubricants
  • PRC, People’s Republic of China
  • PriMin, Prime Minister
  • RAF, Royal Air Force
  • Reftel, reference telegram
  • Reps, representatives
  • RF, Rhodesian Front
  • RG, Record Group
  • RSA, Republic of South Africa
  • RTV, Radio and Television International, Inc.
  • S, Office of the Secretary of State
  • SDRs, Special Drawing Rights
  • SFRC, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
  • Secto, series indicator for telegrams from the Secretary of State (or his delegation) to the Department of State
  • Septel, separate telegram
  • SIG, Senior Interdepartmental Group
  • SIGINT, Signals Intelligence
  • SITREP, Situation Report
  • SMC, Supreme Military Council (Nigeria)
  • SNIE, Special National Intelligence Estimate
  • S/P, Counselor and Chairman of the Policy Planning Council, Department of State
  • SRC, Supreme Revolutionary Council (Somalia)
  • SRG, Senior Review Group
  • S/S, Executive Secretariat, Department of State
  • STRATCOM, Strategic Command
  • STRIKECOM, Strike Command
  • STRIKEOPS, Strike Operations
  • SWA, South West Africa
  • SWAPO, South West Africa People’s Organization
  • SYG, Secretary-General
  • SYL, Somali Youth League
  • Tenneco, Tennessee Division of the Chicago Corporation
  • TFAI, Territoire Francais des Afars et Issas (French Territories of Affars and Issas)
  • Tosec, series indicator for telegrams from the Department of State to the Secretary of State (or his delegation)
  • U, Office of the Under Secretary of State
  • UAMCE, Union for African and Malagasy Economic Cooperation
  • UDENAMO, Uniao Democratica Nacional de Mocambique (Democratic National Union of Mozambique)
  • UK, United Kingdom
  • UKG, United Kingdom Government
  • ULC, United Labour Congress (Nigeria)
  • UN, United Nations
  • UNCTAD, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  • UNDP, United Nations Development Program
  • UNECA, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
  • UNGA, United Nations General Assembly
  • UNITA, Uniao Nacional para e Independencia Total de Angola (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola)
  • UNP, Office of United Nations Political Affairs, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State
  • UNRep, United Nations Representative
  • UNSC, United Nations Security Council
  • UNSYG, United Nations Secretary-General
  • UPA, Uniao das Populacoes de Angola (Union of Angolan Peoples)
  • UPC, Ugandan People’s Congress
  • UPGA, United Progressive Grand Alliance (Nigeria)
  • URTZ, United Republic of Tanzania
  • USAF, United States Air Force
  • USCINCEUR, U.S. Commander in Chief, Europe
  • USDA, United States Department of Agriculture
  • USG, United States Government
  • USIA, United States Information Agency
  • USIS, United States Information Service
  • USN, United States Navy
  • USSR, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
  • UST, United States Treaties and Other International Agreements
  • USUN, United States Mission to the United Nations
  • VOA, Voice of America
  • VOLAGs, volunteer agencies
  • VP, Vice President
  • WH, White House
  • WHO, World Health Organization
  • W(A)SAG, Washington Special Actions Group
  • Z, Zulu, Greenwich Mean Time (for Department of State telegrams)
  • ZAMISH, U.S. Military Mission (Zaire)