<PAGE> PAGE 1
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000 C000000 0000812015
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008 A00AA01 ALLIANCE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT L.P.
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011 C01AA01 NEW YORK
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011 C03AA01 10105
012 A00AA01 ALLIANCE FUND SERVICES, INC.
012 B00AA01 84-0001187
012 C01AA01 SECAUCUS
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012 C03AA01 07094
013 A00AA01 PRICE WATERHOUSE LLP
<PAGE> PAGE 2
013 B01AA01 NEW YORK
013 B02AA01 NY
013 B03AA01 10036
013 B04AA01 2798
014 A00AA01 DONALDSON LUFKIN & JENRETTE SECURITIES CORP.
014 B00AA01 8-00017574
014 A00AA02 PERSHING
014 B00AA02 8-00017574
014 A00AA03 AUTRANET
014 B00AA03 8-00017574
015 A00AA01 STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST CO.
015 B00AA01 C
015 C01AA01 BOSTON
015 C02AA01 MA
015 C03AA01 02110
015 E01AA01 X
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<PAGE> PAGE 3
022 A000006 LEHMAN BROTHERS INC.
022 B000006 13-2518466
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<PAGE> PAGE 4
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<PAGE> PAGE 5
086 D020000 0
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025 A000201 BEAR STEARNS & CO. INC.
025 B000201 13-3299429
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025 A000202 SALOMON BROTHERS INC.
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<PAGE> PAGE 6
030 B000200 4.25
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<PAGE> PAGE 7
062 C000200 0.0
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<PAGE> PAGE 8
070 N010200 Y
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<PAGE> PAGE 9
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SIGNATURE CATHY WHITE
TITLE ASST VICE PRESIDENT
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<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK> 405,286
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</TABLE>
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<S> <C>
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<PERIOD-START> SEP-01-1996
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</TABLE>
October 13, 1997
To the Board of Trustees of
Alliance Short-Term U.S. Government Fund
In planning and performing our audit of the financial statements of
Alliance Short-Term U.S. Government Fund (the "Fund") for the year
ended August 31, 1997, we considered its internal control, including
control activities for safeguarding securities, in order to determine
our auditing procedures for the purpose of expressing our opinion on
the financial statements and to comply with the requirements of Form
N-SAR, not to provide assurance on internal control.
The management of the Portfolio is responsible for establishing and
maintaining internal control. In fulfilling this responsibility,
estimates and judgments by management are required to assess the
expected benefits and related costs of control activities.
Generally, control activities that are relevant to an audit pertain
to the entity's objective of preparing financial statements for
external purposes that are fairly presented in conformity with
generally accepted accounting principles. Those control activities
include the safeguarding of assets against unauthorized acquisition,
use or disposition.
Because of inherent limitations in internal control, errors or
irregularities may occur and not be detected. Also, projection of
any evaluation of internal control to future periods is subject to
the risk that it may become inadequate because of changes in
conditions or that the effectiveness of the design and operation may
deteriorate.
Our consideration of internal control would not necessarily disclose
all matters in internal control that might be material weaknesses
under standards established by the American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants. A material weakness is a condition in which the
design or operation of any specific internal control components does
not reduce to a relatively low level the risk that errors or
irregularities in amounts that would be material in relation to the
financial statements being audited may occur and not be detected
within a timely period by employees in the normal course of
performing their assigned functions. However, we noted no matters
involving internal control, including control activities for
safeguarding securities, that we consider to be material weaknesses
as defined above as of August 31, 1997.
This report is intended solely for the information and use of
management and the Board of Trustees of the Fund and the Securities
and Exchange Commission.
PRICE WATERHOUSE LLP
