The Approximation Property and Locally Convex Spaces Defined by the Ideal of Approximable Operators

The connection between the approximation property and certain classes of locally convex spaces associated with the ideal ?? of approximable operators will be discussed. It will be shown that a Frechet Montel space has the approximation property iff it is a mixed ??-space, or equivalently, iff its strong dual is a ??-space. Similarly, a Silva space has the approximation property iff it is a mixed ??-space or equivalently iff it is a ??-space. We shall also show that a Frechet Schwartz space with the bounded approximation property is always a ??-space.