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SIGNATURE THOMAS G. ROSE
TITLE TREASURER
<TABLE> <S> <C>
<ARTICLE> 6
<MULTIPLIER> 1000
<S> <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE> 12-MOS
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INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' REPORT
The Board of Directors
Tri-Continental Corporation
In planning and performing our audit of the financial statements of
Tri-Continental Corporation (the "Fund") for the year ended December 31, 1997
(on which we have issued our report dated January 30, 1998), 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, and not to provide assurance on the Fund's internal control.
The management of the Fund 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
controls. Generally, controls 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 controls include the safeguarding of assets against
unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition.
Because of inherent limitations in internal control, errors or fraud 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 be become inadequate because
of changes in conditions or that the effectiveness of the design and operation
may deteriorate.
Our consideration of the Fund's 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 one or
more of the internal control components does not reduce to a relatively low
level the risk that errors or fraud 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 the Fund's internal
control and its operation, including controls for safeguarding securities, that
we consider to be material weaknesses as defined above as of December 31, 1997.
This report is intended solely for the information and use of management, the
Board of Directors of Tri-Continental Corporation, and the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
/s/Deloitte & Touche LLP
- ------------------------
Deloitte & Touche LLP
January 30, 1998
