Putnam Investments
                                                One Post Office Square
                                                Boston, MA 02109
                                                April 4, 2000
Securities and Exchange Commission
450 Fifth Street, N.W.
Washington, DC  20549

RE: Putnam Intermediate U.S. Government Income Fund ("the Fund")
    (Reg. No. 33-37991) (811-6257)
    Post-Effective Amendment No. 8 to Registration Statement on Form N-1A

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Pursuant to Rule 497(j) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the
Fund hereby certifies that the form of Prospectuses and Statement of
Additional Information that would have been filed on behalf of the Fund
pursuant to Rule 497(c) upon the effectiveness of Post-Effective Amendment
No. 8 to the Fund's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (the "Amendment")
would not have differed from that contained in the Amendment, which is the
most recent amendment to such Registration Statement and was filed
electronically on March 29, 2000.

Comments or questions concerning this certificate may be directed to
Kathleen Moynihan at 1-800-225-2465, ext. 1-1796.

                                Very truly yours,

                                Putnam Intermediate U.S. Government Income Fund

                                /s/ Gordon H. Silver
                            By: ----------------------------
                                Gordon H. Silver
                                Vice President

cc:  Jennifer Borggaard, Esq., Ropes & Gray