Abbreviations and Acronyms

ACA Committee Armistice Terms and Civil Administration Committee. Created by British cabinet in 1943, headed by Deputy PM Clement Attlee. Permanent members included: Foreign Secretary, War Secretary, Chancellor of the Exchequer. ACA succeeded AT(E) Committee.
ACAO Official Committee on Armistice Terms and Civil Administration. Headed by Secretary of State in the WO, Sir Frederick Bovenschen (previously head of AT(E)). Provided advice to ACA Committee.
APW Committee Armistice and Postwar Committee. Larger successor of ACA.
AT(E) Committee Administration of Territories (Europe) Committee. Precursor of ACA Committee.
CCG (BE) Control Commission for Germany (British Element). Assumed full governmental authority on 3 Sep 1945.
CAD Civil Affairs Division. Part of US War Department (also WARCAD).
CFM Allied Council of Foreign Ministers. First meeting 25 Apr 1946.
COGA Control Office for Germany and Austria (UK). Dissolved in Apr 1947 and incorporated into German Section of FO.
COSSAC Chief of Staff to Supreme Allied Commander. Anglo-American planning committee.
ERAB Educational and Religious Affairs Branch. Subdivision of Internal Affairs Communication Division (OMGUS). Renamed Educational and Cultural Relations Division in 1948.
FO Foreign Office (UK)
FORD Foreign Office Research Department. Founded in Spring 1943 to produce position papers (by sociologists, historians, politics experts) as basis for future policy. Head of German Department: T.H. Marshall (sociologist).
FRG Federal Republic of Germany. Founded 23 May 1949, encompassing former British, American, and French occupied zones, and West Berlin.
GDR German Democratic Republic. Founded 7 Oct 1949, encompassing former Soviet zone and East Berlin.
HICOG High Commission for Occupied Germany (also Allied High Commission). Established by US, UK, F after 1948 breakdown of Control Council. Began work on 21 Sep 1949 (Petersberg, Bonn) to regulate and supervise development of FRG. Ceased to function 5 May 1955.
ICD Information Control Division. German link of CAD (US War Department), directly answerable to OMGUS. Controlled media and operated as news agency, headed by General McClure. Within ICD, a Publications Branch was responsible for controlling all publications in US Zone. Another branch was responsible for film, theatre, and radio.
ICU Information Control Unit. Subdivisions of individual Army Corps Districts in British Zone before responsibility passed to CCG(BE).
ISC Branch Information Services Control Branch. British successor to PWD, part of CCG.
ISD Information Services Directorate (also PRD – Public Relations Directorate). Part of the General Dept. of COGA. Director: George W. Houghton; Deputy Director and Chief Press Officer: E. H. Underwood.
MOI Ministry of Information (UK). In charge of propaganda.
OMGUS Office of Military Government (US)
ORC Overseas Reconstruction Committee. Successor of APW in July 1945.
OSS Office of Strategic Services. US wartime intelligence agency; precursor of CIA.
OWI Office of War Information (US). Founded 1942 to provide guidelines for occupation policy until its dissolution on 31 Aug 1945.
PID Political Intelligence Department. Official name of PWE to disguise its true nature. Incorporated by FORD in 1946. In charge of London activities (e.g. selecting English books/films, negotiating copyright).
PMD Section Publications, Music and Drama Section (also Books and Plays Section). Part of ISD under Major G.N. Thompson. After integration of COGA into FO (1947), PMD became part of German Education Department.
PR/ISC Public Relations / Information Services Control Group. Part of CCG(BE). In charge of activities in Germany (e.g. Selected Book Scheme). Head: W. H. Alexander Bishop, succeeded by Cecil Sprigge (Oct 1946). PR/ISC took over from ICUs (summer 1945). Renamed Information Services Division (ISD) in 1948. Head: Raymond Gauntlett (May 1948-summer 1949).
PRO Public Record Office (Kew, UK). Merged with National Archives in 2003.
PWD Psychological Warfare Division. Precursor of ICD. Anglo-American military organisation (part of SHAEF) in charge of controlling information services in occupied Germany. Head: Robert A. McClure.
PWE Political Warfare Executive. Founded Aug 1941. Part of FO, in charge of all political and psychological warfare / propaganda. General Director: Robert Bruce Lockhart.
RO Reorientation Branch. Part of CAD from 31 Aug 1945. In charge of preparing, planning, and steering ideological re-education (incl. selecting films, books etc.).
SHAEF Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force. Succeeded COSSAC in 1944 under General Eisenhower. In charge up to instatement of Control Commission, i.e. short-term planning. Dissolved 19 July 1945.
SMAD Soviet Military Administration in Germany (Sowjetische Militäradministration in Deutschland)
WO War Office (UK)