| 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) |
