by Neil Sheehan
CTZ: corps tactical zone
CY: calendar year
Deptel: (State) Department telegram
DePuy: Lieutenant General William E. DePuy, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, 1964–66
De Soto patrols: U.S. destroyer patrols in Tonkin Gulf
DIA: Defense Intelligence Agency
Diem, Ngo Dinh: (See biography)
Dinh: Major General Ton That Dinh, military governor of Saigon, 1963
DMZ: Demilitarized Zone
Dobrynin: Anatoly F. Dobrynin, USSR Ambassador to the U.S., 1961–
Doc: document
DOD: Department of Defense
Don: Major General Tran Van Don, Chief of Staff, South Vietnamese armed forces, 1963; Defense Minister 1963–64; Deputy Commander in Chief, 1964
Dong, Pham Van: (See biography)
DPM: draft presidential memo
DRV: Democratic Republic of (North) Vietnam
Duan, Le: (See biography)
Dulles: Allen W. Dulles, director of Central Intelligence, 1953–61; or John Foster Dulles, Secretary of State, 1952–59
Durbrow: Elbridge Durbrow, U.S. Ambassador to Saigon, 1957–61
E and E: escape and evasion
ECM: electronic countermeasures
EDC: European Defense Community
Eden: Anthony Eden, Earl of Avon, Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, UK, 1951–55; Prime Minister, 1955–57
Ely: General Paul Ely, French commander in Indochina, 1954–55
Embtel: U.S. embassy telegram
EPTEL: apparently a typographical error for Deptel or Septel, q.v.
FAL: Lao armed forces
FAR: Royal Armed Forces (of Laos)
Farmgate: clandestine U.S. Air Force strike unit in Vietnam (1964)
FEC: French Expeditionary Corps
Felt: Admiral Harry D. Felt, Commander in Chief, Pacific, 1958–64
Flaming Dart: code name of operations, reprisals for attacks on U.S. installations
FOA: Foreign Operations Administration
Forrestal, Michael V.: (See biography)
Fulbright: J. W. Fulbright, chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee; U.S. Senator (D.-Ark.), 1945–
FWMA: Free World Military Assistance
FWMAF: Free World Military Assistance Force
FY: fiscal year
FYI: for your information
Gardner: John W. Gardner, Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, 1965–68
Giap: General Vo Nguyen Giap, Commander in Chief of Vietminh Army at time of defeat of French at Dienbienphu (1954)
Gilpatric: Roswell L. Gilpatric, Deputy Secretary of Defense, 1961–64
GNP: gross national product
G–3: U.S. Army General Staff branch handling plans and operations
GVN: Government of (South) Vietnam
Hardnose: code name, apparently for covert project, not otherwise identified in the documents
Harkins, Paul D.: (See biography)
Harriman: W. Averell Harriman, Assistant, then Under Secretary of State, 1961–65; Ambassador at Large, 1965–68
Heath: Donald R. Heath, U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia and Vietnam, 1952
Heinz: Vice Admiral Luther C. Heinz, director Far East region, office of Assistant Secretary of Defense, 1960–63
Hieu: Ngo Trong Hieu, Minister of Civic Action, South Vietnam, 1963
Hilsman, Roger: (See biography)
Hinh: Major General Nguyen Van Hinh, chief of staff, South Vietnamese Army; unsuccessful rebel against Diem, 1954
HNC: High National Council
Ho: Ho Chi Minh, head of government, North Vietnam, 1954–69
Hop Tac plan: operation planned to clear Saigon and its surroundings
Huong: Tran Van Huong, head of government, South Vietnam, 1964–65
ICA: International Cooperation Administration
ICC: International Control Commission for Vietnam
I Corps: military region, five northern provinces of South Vietnam
IDA: Institute for Defense Analyses
II Corps: military region in South Vietnam, Central Highlands and Central Coastal area
III Corps: military region in South Vietnam, provinces surrounding Saigon
in ref.: in reference to
ISA: International Security Agency
IV Corps: military region, southern Vietnam
JCS: Joint Chiefs of Staff
JCSM: Joint Chiefs of Staff memorandum
Johnson: U. Alexis Johnson, Deputy Under Secretary of State, 1961–64, 1965–66; deputy to Ambassador Maxwell D. Taylor, 1964–65
Joint Chiefs: Joint Chiefs of Staff
Jorden Report: internal State Department paper by William J. Jorden, 1964
Jungle Jim: aerial commando operations
Katzenbach: Nicholas deB. Katzenbach, Under Secretary of State, 1966–68
Khanh, Nguyen: (See biography)
Khiem: General Tran Thien Khiem, executive officer, South Vietnamese Joint General Staff, 1963; Defense Minister and Commander in Chief, 1964
KIA: killed in action
Kim: Major General Le Van Kim, leading figure in post-Diem government in South Vietnam
Krulak, Victor H.: (See biography)
Ky: Marshal Nguyen Cao Ky, head of government, South Vietnam, 1965–67; Vice-President, 1967–
Kyes: Roger M. Kyes, Deputy Secretary of Defense, 1953–54
Laniel: Joseph Laniel, Premier of France, 1953–54
Lansdale, Edward G.: (See biography)
Lao Dong: Communist party in North Vietnam
Leaping Lena: code name for an allied operation not further identified in the documents
Liberation Front: National Liberation Front
Lippmann: Walter Lippmann, newspaper columnist
LOC: lines of communication
Lodge, Henry Cabot, Jr.: (See biography)
Lucky Dragon: code name, apparently, for a covert allied operation in Vietnam, not otherwise identified
MAAG: Military Assistance Advisory Group
MAC: Military Assistance Command
MacArthur: Douglas MacArthur II, counselor, State Department, 1953–56
MACV: Military Assistance Command, Vietnam
Mansfield: Senator Mike Mansfield (D.–Mont.)
MAP: Military Assistance Program
Marops: maritime operations
Mau: Vu Van Mau, Foreign Minister, South Vietnam till fall of Diem (1963)
McCone: John A. McCone, director of Central Intelligence, 1961–65
McNamara: Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of Defense, 1961–68
McNaughton, John T.: (See biography)
MDAP: Mutual Defense Assistance Program
Mecklin: John M. Mecklin, public affairs officer, U.S. Embassy, Saigon, 1962–64
MEF: Marine Expeditionary Force
Mendès: Pierre Mendès-France, Premier of France, 1954–55
Minh: General Duong Van Minh (“Big Minh”), head of government, South Vietnam, 1963–64
Molotov: V. M. Molotov, Soviet Minister for Foreign Affairs, 1953–56
Morgan: Thomas E. Morgan, chairman, House Foreign Affairs Committee, 1954–
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Navarre: General Henri Navarre, Commander in Chief, French forces in Indochina, 1953–54
NFLSV: National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam
Ngo family: family of Ngo Dinh Diem and Ngo Dinh Nhu
Nhu, Madame: wife of Ngo Dinh Nhu
Nhu, Ngo Dinh: (See biography)
NIE: National Intelligence Estimate
Nitze: Paul H. Nitze, Secretary of the Navy, Deputy Secretary of Defense
NLF: National Liberation Front
Nolting: Frederick E. (“Fritz”) Nolting, U.S. Ambassador in Saigon, 1961–63
Norstad: General Lauris Norstad, air deputy, SHAPE, 1953–56; commander, SHAPE, 1956–63
NSA: National Security Agency
&nb
sp; NSAM: National Security Agency memorandum
NSC: National Security Council
NVA: North Vietnamese Army
NVN: North Vietnam
OB: Operation Brotherhood
OEEC: Organization for European Economic Cooperation
Opcon: Operations Control
Oplan: operation plan
ops: operations
OSD: Office of the Secretary of Defense
PACOM: Pacific Command
Para: paragraph
PARU: Police Aerial Resupply Unit
PAVN: People’s Army of (North) Vietnam
PB: Planning Board
PBR: river patrol boat
PDJ: Plaine des Jarres
PF: Popular Forces
PI: Philippine Islands
Pierce Arrow: code name for U.S. reprisal bombing of North Vietnam after the Tonkin Gulf incidents
PL: Pathet Lao
Pleven: René Pleven, French Minister of National Defense, 1953, 1954
POL: petroleum, oil, lubricants
POLAD: political adviser (to Commander in Chief, Pacific)
Porter: William J. Porter, U.S. Deputy Ambassador (with rank of Ambassador) in Saigon, 1965–67
psyops: psychological operations
PTF: fast patrol boat
Quang: Trich Tri Quang, South Vietnamese Buddhist leader
Quat: Phan Huy Quat, head of government, South Vietnam, 1965
Queen Bee: code name for an allied operation not otherwise identified in the documents
QTE: quote
Radford: Admiral Arthur W. Radford, chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1953–57
RAS: river assault squadron
RD: Revolutionary Development; or Rural Development
RECCE: reconnaissance
REF: reference, meaning “the document referred to”
Reftel: in reference to your telegram, or telegram referred to
Resor: Stanley R. Resor, Secretary of the Army, 1965–
RF: Regional Forces
Rice: Edward E. Rice, U.S. Consul General in Hong Kong, 1963–67
RLAF: Royal Laotian Air Force
RLG: Royal Laotian Government
RLT: regimental landing team
ROK: Republic of (South) Korea
Rolling Thunder: code name of operation, sustained bombing of North Vietnam
Rostow: Walt W. Rostow, Presidential assistant for national security, 1961; chairman, State Department Policy Planning Council, 1961–66
rpt: repeat
RSM: Robert S. McNamara
RSSZ: Rungsat Special Zone
RTA: Royal Thai Army
RT–28: name of U.S. aircraft
Rusk: Dean Rusk, Secretary of State, 1961–69
RVN: Republic of (South) Vietnam
RVNAF: Republic of (South) Vietnam Air Force or armed forces
RVNF: Republic of (South) Vietnam forces
SAC: Strategic Air Command
SAM: surface-to-air missile
SAR: search and rescue
Sarit: Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat, Prime Minister of Thailand, 1958–63
SEA: Southeast Asia
Seaborn, J. Blair: (See biography)
SEATO: Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
Sec Def: Secretary of Defense
Septel: separate telegram
Sharp, U. S. Grant: (See biography)
Sihanouk: Prince Norodom Sihanouk, head of state, Cambodia, 1960–70
SMM: Saigon Military Mission
SNIE: Special National Intelligence Estimate
Souvanna: Prince Souvanna Phouma, Prime Minister of Laos, 1951–
Stassen: Harold Stassen, Governor of Minnesota, 1938–45; director, Foreign Operations Administration, 1953–55
State: State Department
STC: Security Training Center
Stilwell: Lieutenant General Richard G. Stilwell, assistant to Chief of Staff, Operations, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, 1963–64
SVN: South Vietnam
SVNese: South Vietnamese
TAOR: tactical area of responsibility
Taylor, Maxwell D.: (See biography)
TERM: Temporary Equipment Recovery Mission
Tet: lunar new year; 1968 offensive during Tet
TF: task force
Thang: General Nguyen Ngoc Thang, director, Revolutionary Development, South Vietnam
Thao: Colonel Pham Ngoc Thao (executed 1965 for part in attempted South Vietnamese coups, 1964–65)
Thieu: Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Thieu, President of South Vietnam, 1967–
34–A: operation plan, 1964, covering covert ground, air and sea raids against North Vietnam
Tho: Nguyen Ngoc Tho, head of government, South Vietnam, 1963–64
Thuan: Nguyen Dinh Thuan, holder of high positions in Diem government, South Vietnam
TO&E: table of organization and equipment
Triangle: code name for an allied operation not otherwise identified in the documents
TRIM: Training Relations and Instruction Mission
Trueheart: William C. Trueheart, deputy to Ambassador Nolting, 1961–63
T–28: name of U.S. fighter-bomber
UK: United Kingdom
Unger: Leonard Unger, U.S. Ambassador to Laos, 1962–64; Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, 1965–67
UNO: United Nations Organization
UNQTE: unquote
USAF: United States Air Force
USG: United States Government
USIA: United States Information Agency
USIB: United States Intelligence Board
USIS: United States Information Service
USOM: United States Operations Mission (U.S. economic aid apparatus in Saigon)
UW: unconventional warfare
Vance: Cyrus R. Vance, Deputy Secretary of Defense, 1964–67; troubleshooter for President Johnson, 1967–69
VC: Vietcong
VM: Vietminh
VN: Vietnam
VNAF: (South) Vietnamese Air Force or armed forces
VNese: Vietnamese
VNSF: (South) Vietnamese Special Forces
VOA: Voice of America
Westmoreland, William C: (See biography)
Westy: see Westmoreland
Wheeler, Earle G.: (See biography)
white radio: in psychological warfare, broadcasts openly attributed to the side transmitting them
Williams: Lieutenant General Samuel T. Williams, U.S. military adviser in South Vietnam, 1955–60
Wilson: Charles E. Wilson, Secretary of Defense, 1953–57
W/T: walkie-talkie
Yankee Team: phase of the Indochina bombing operation
YT: see Yankee Team