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<FILENAME>auditltr061.txt
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PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
125 High Street
Boston, MA 02110
Telephone (617) 530 5000
Facsimile (617) 530 5001


Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm


To the Trustees and Shareholders of Putnam High Income Bond Fund:

In planning and performing our audit of the financial statements
of Putnam High Income Bond Fund for the year ended August 31,
2004, 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 NSAR, not to provide assurance on internal control.

The management of Putnam High Income Bond 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 entitys 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 may not be detected.  Also, projection of any
evaluation of internal control to future periods is subject to
the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes
in conditions or that the effectiveness of their 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 Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States).  A material weakness,
for purposes of this report, 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
misstatements caused by error 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 internal control and its
operation, including controls for safeguarding securities, that
we consider to be material weaknesses as defined above as of
August 31, 2004.

This report is intended solely for the information and use of
management and the Board of Trustees and the Securities and
Exchange Commission and is not intended to be and should not be
used by anyone other than these specified parties.


/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
October 12, 2004

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