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<PAGE> PAGE 2
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<PAGE> PAGE 3
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<PAGE> PAGE 4
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<PAGE> PAGE 5
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<PAGE> PAGE 6
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<PAGE> PAGE 7
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SIGNATURE RICHARD W. INGRAM
TITLE TREASURER
<TABLE> <S> <C>
<ARTICLE> 6
<LEGEND>
This schedule contains summary financial data extracted from the annual report
dated 8/31/97 for The Tax Exempt Bond Portfolio and is qualified in its entirety
by reference to such annual report.
</LEGEND>
<MULTIPLIER> 1000
<S> <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE> 12-MOS
<FISCAL-YEAR-END> AUG-31-1997
<PERIOD-END> AUG-31-1997
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST> 575489
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 598467
<RECEIVABLES> 6896
<ASSETS-OTHER> 49
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<TOTAL-ASSETS> 605412
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</TABLE>
1177 Avenue of the Americas Telephone 212 596 7000
New York, NY 10036 Facsimile 212 596 8910
PRICE WATERHOUSE LLP [logo]
October 23, 1997
To the Investors and Trustees of
The Tax Exempt Bond Portfolio
In planning and performing our audit of the financial statements of The Tax
Exempt Bond Portfolio (the "Portfolio") 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 Trustees of the Portfolio and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
/s/ Price Waterhouse LLP
PRICE WATERHOUSE LLP
