<PAGE> PAGE 1
000 A000000 04/30/97
000 C000000 0000882381
000 D000000 N
000 E000000 NF
000 F000000 Y
000 G000000 N
000 H000000 N
000 I000000 3.0.a
000 J000000 A
001 A000000 DEAN WITTER DIVERSIFIED INCOME TRUST
001 B000000 811-6515
001 C000000 2123922550
002 A000000 TWO WORLD TRADE CENTER
002 B000000 NEW YORK
002 C000000 NY
002 D010000 10048
003 000000 N
004 000000 N
005 000000 N
006 000000 N
007 A000000 N
007 B000000 0
007 C010100 1
007 C010200 2
007 C010300 3
007 C010400 4
007 C010500 5
007 C010600 6
007 C010700 7
007 C010800 8
007 C010900 9
007 C011000 10
008 A000001 DEAN WITTER INTERCAPITAL INC.
008 B000001 A
008 C000001 801-42061
008 D010001 NEW YORK
008 D020001 NY
008 D030001 10048
010 A00AA01 DELETE
011 A000001 DEAN WITTER DISTRIBUTORS INC.
011 B000001 8-45262
011 C010001 NEW YORK
011 C020001 NY
011 C030001 10048
012 A000001 DEAN WITTER TRUST COMPANY
012 B000001 84-1785
012 C010001 JERSEY CITY
012 C020001 NJ
012 C030001 07311
013 A000001 PRICE WATERHOUSE LLP
013 B010001 NEW YORK
<PAGE> PAGE 2
013 B020001 NY
013 B030001 10036
014 A000001 DEAN WITTER REYNOLDS INC.
014 B000001 8-14172
014 A00AA01 DELETE
015 A000001 THE BANK OF NEW YORK
015 B000001 C
015 C010001 NEW YORK
015 C020001 NY
015 C030001 10286
015 E010001 X
018 000000 Y
019 A000000 Y
019 B000000 126
019 C000000 DEANWITTER
020 A000001 SMITH BARNEY SHEARSON INC.
020 B000001 13-1912900
020 C000001 3
020 C000002 0
020 C000003 0
020 C000004 0
020 C000005 0
020 C000006 0
020 C000007 0
020 C000008 0
020 C000009 0
020 C000010 0
021 000000 3
022 A000001 THE BANK OF NEW YORK
022 B000001 13-5160382
022 C000001 823734
022 D000001 200174
022 A000002 BANKERS TRUST
022 B000002 13-4941247
022 C000002 305486
022 D000002 270997
022 A000003 GOLDMAN SACHS AND CO.
022 B000003 13-5108880
022 C000003 557269
022 D000003 2170
022 A000004 BA SECURITIES
022 B000004 95-4035346
022 C000004 370281
022 D000004 0
022 A000005 BANK OF AMERICA
022 B000005 94-1687665
022 C000005 278767
022 D000005 0
022 A000006 CREDIT SUISSE
022 B000006 13-5659485
022 C000006 104907
<PAGE> PAGE 3
022 D000006 129824
022 A000007 MORGAN STANLEY AND CO., INC.
022 B000007 13-2655998
022 C000007 96804
022 D000007 100168
022 A000008 SWISS BANK
022 B000008 NA
022 C000008 49015
022 D000008 14348
022 A000009 AIG INTERNATIONAL
022 B000009 NA
022 C000009 29627
022 D000009 29802
022 A000010 DONALDSON, LUFKIN & JENRETTE SEC.
022 B000010 13-2741729
022 C000010 27688
022 D000010 25874
023 C000000 3046051
023 D000000 986427
024 000000 N
025 D000001 0
025 D000002 0
025 D000003 0
025 D000004 0
025 D000005 0
025 D000006 0
025 D000007 0
025 D000008 0
025 A00AA01 DELETE
025 D00AA01 0
025 A00AA02 DELETE
025 D00AA02 0
025 A00AA03 DELETE
025 D00AA03 0
025 A00AA04 DELETE
025 D00AA04 0
025 D00AA05 0
025 D00AA06 0
025 D00AA07 0
025 D00AA08 0
026 A000000 N
026 B000000 Y
026 C000000 N
026 D000000 Y
026 E000000 N
026 F000000 N
026 G010000 N
026 G020000 N
026 H000000 N
027 000000 Y
028 A010000 40631
<PAGE> PAGE 4
028 A020000 2000
028 A030000 0
028 A040000 18727
028 B010000 40672
028 B020000 8615
028 B030000 0
028 B040000 22142
028 C010000 51113
028 C020000 2190
028 C030000 0
028 C040000 26459
028 D010000 48305
028 D020000 2274
028 D030000 0
028 D040000 22361
028 E010000 32145
028 E020000 2335
028 E030000 0
028 E040000 21267
028 F010000 43290
028 F020000 2317
028 F030000 0
028 F040000 36173
028 G010000 256156
028 G020000 19731
028 G030000 0
028 G040000 147129
028 H000000 256156
029 000000 N
030 A000000 0
030 B000000 0.00
030 C000000 0.00
031 A000000 0
031 B000000 0
032 000000 0
033 000000 0
034 000000 Y
035 000000 681
036 A000000 N
036 B000000 0
037 000000 N
038 000000 0
039 000000 N
040 000000 Y
041 000000 Y
042 A000000 0
042 B000000 0
042 C000000 100
042 D000000 0
042 E000000 0
042 F000000 0
<PAGE> PAGE 5
042 G000000 0
042 H000000 0
043 000000 3357
044 000000 0
045 000000 Y
046 000000 N
047 000000 Y
048 000000 0.400
048 A010000 0
048 A020000 0.000
048 B010000 0
048 B020000 0.000
048 C010000 0
048 C020000 0.000
048 D010000 0
048 D020000 0.000
048 E010000 0
048 E020000 0.000
048 F010000 0
048 F020000 0.000
048 G010000 0
048 G020000 0.000
048 H010000 0
048 H020000 0.000
048 I010000 0
048 I020000 0.000
048 J010000 0
048 J020000 0.000
048 K010000 0
048 K020000 0.000
049 000000 N
050 000000 N
051 000000 N
052 000000 N
053 A000000 N
054 A000000 Y
054 B000000 Y
054 C000000 Y
054 D000000 N
054 E000000 N
054 F000000 N
054 G000000 Y
054 H000000 Y
054 I000000 N
054 J000000 Y
054 K000000 N
054 L000000 Y
054 M000000 Y
054 N000000 N
054 O000000 Y
055 A000000 N
<PAGE> PAGE 6
055 B000000 N
056 000000 Y
057 000000 N
058 A000000 N
059 000000 Y
060 A000000 Y
060 B000000 Y
061 000000 1000
062 A000000 Y
062 B000000 0.0
062 C000000 0.9
062 D000000 0.1
062 E000000 0.0
062 F000000 0.0
062 G000000 0.0
062 H000000 0.0
062 I000000 0.0
062 J000000 0.1
062 K000000 0.0
062 L000000 0.0
062 M000000 2.9
062 N000000 29.6
062 O000000 0.0
062 P000000 31.5
062 Q000000 31.4
062 R000000 1.4
063 A000000 0
063 B000000 10.3
064 A000000 N
064 B000000 Y
065 000000 N
066 A000000 N
067 000000 N
068 A000000 N
068 B000000 N
069 000000 N
070 A010000 Y
070 A020000 Y
070 B010000 N
070 B020000 N
070 C010000 Y
070 C020000 N
070 D010000 N
070 D020000 N
070 E010000 Y
070 E020000 N
070 F010000 N
070 F020000 N
070 G010000 Y
070 G020000 N
070 H010000 N
<PAGE> PAGE 7
070 H020000 N
070 I010000 N
070 I020000 N
070 J010000 Y
070 J020000 Y
070 K010000 N
070 K020000 N
070 L010000 Y
070 L020000 Y
070 M010000 Y
070 M020000 Y
070 N010000 Y
070 N020000 N
070 O010000 Y
070 O020000 N
070 P010000 Y
070 P020000 N
070 Q010000 N
070 Q020000 N
070 R010000 N
070 R020000 N
071 A000000 376095
071 B000000 247049
071 C000000 755419
071 D000000 33
072 A000000 6
072 B000000 36598
072 C000000 0
072 D000000 0
072 E000000 0
072 F000000 1580
072 G000000 0
072 H000000 0
072 I000000 225
072 J000000 166
072 K000000 0
072 L000000 33
072 M000000 1
072 N000000 57
072 O000000 0
072 P000000 0
072 Q000000 0
072 R000000 27
072 S000000 10
072 T000000 3357
072 U000000 13
072 V000000 0
072 W000000 8
072 X000000 5485
072 Y000000 0
072 Z000000 31113
<PAGE> PAGE 8
072AA000000 0
072BB000000 11577
072CC010000 0
072CC020000 19831
072DD010000 45578
072DD020000 0
072EE000000 0
073 A010000 0.5500
073 A020000 0.0000
073 B000000 0.0000
073 C000000 0.0000
074 A000000 2165
074 B000000 673
074 C000000 8739
074 D000000 790104
074 E000000 2009
074 F000000 8850
074 G000000 0
074 H000000 0
074 I000000 432
074 J000000 1311
074 K000000 0
074 L000000 25178
074 M000000 6801
074 N000000 846262
074 O000000 14137
074 P000000 903
074 Q000000 0
074 R010000 0
074 R020000 0
074 R030000 0
074 R040000 2757
074 S000000 0
074 T000000 828465
074 U010000 89724
074 U020000 0
074 V010000 9.23
074 V020000 0.00
074 W000000 0.0000
074 X000000 37743
074 Y000000 251170
075 A000000 0
075 B000000 796345
076 000000 0.00
077 A000000 N
078 000000 N
080 A000000 ICI MUTUAL
080 B000000 VIGILANT, GULF, RELIANCE, CHUBB
080 C000000 110000
081 A000000 Y
081 B000000 125
<PAGE> PAGE 9
082 A000000 N
082 B000000 0
083 A000000 N
083 B000000 0
084 A000000 N
084 B000000 0
085 A000000 Y
085 B000000 N
086 A010000 0
086 A020000 0
086 B010000 0
086 B020000 0
086 C010000 0
086 C020000 0
086 D010000 0
086 D020000 0
086 E010000 0
086 E020000 0
086 F010000 0
086 F020000 0
SIGNATURE BARRY FINK
TITLE VP & GENERAL COUNSEL
<TABLE> <S> <C>
<ARTICLE> 6
<LEGEND>
Dean Witter Diversified Income Trust
Semi-Annual NSAR 04/30/97
</LEGEND>
<CIK> 0000882381
<NAME> DW DIVERSIFIED INCOME TRUST
<S> <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE> 6-MOS
<FISCAL-YEAR-END> OCT-31-1997
<PERIOD-END> APR-30-1997
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST> 844,093,867
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 810,806,687
<RECEIVABLES> 26,488,957
<ASSETS-OTHER> 8,966,297
<OTHER-ITEMS-ASSETS> 0
<TOTAL-ASSETS> 846,261,941
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES> 14,137,470
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT> 0
<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES> 3,659,433
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES> 17,796,903
<SENIOR-EQUITY> 0
<PAID-IN-CAPITAL-COMMON> 876,160,252
<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK> 89,723,592
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR> 76,228,524
<ACCUMULATED-NII-CURRENT> (1,646,370)
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII> 0
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS> (19,156,850)
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS> 0
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC> (26,891,994)
<NET-ASSETS> 828,465,038
<DIVIDEND-INCOME> 0
<INTEREST-INCOME> 36,597,702
<OTHER-INCOME> 0
<EXPENSES-NET> 5,485,113
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME> 31,112,589
<REALIZED-GAINS-CURRENT> (11,577,047)
<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT> (19,830,778)
<NET-CHANGE-FROM-OPS> (295,236)
<EQUALIZATION> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME> (45,578,483)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER> 0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD> 26,936,468
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED> (15,525,197)
<SHARES-REINVESTED> 2,083,797
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS> 82,884,136
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR> 12,819,524
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR> (7,579,803)
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR> 0
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR> 0
<GROSS-ADVISORY-FEES> 1,579,599
<INTEREST-EXPENSE> 0
<GROSS-EXPENSE> 5,485,113
<AVERAGE-NET-ASSETS> 796,344,833
<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN> 9.78
<PER-SHARE-NII> 0.36
<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC> (0.36)
<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND> (0.55)
<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS> 0
<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL> 0
<PER-SHARE-NAV-END> 9.23
<EXPENSE-RATIO> 1.39
<AVG-DEBT-OUTSTANDING> 0
<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE> 0
</TABLE>
