Did the cuckolded husband of Paula Broadwell send a letter to a New York Times advice column back in July that revealed he knew of her affair with David Petraeus?

That intriguing possibility has been raised after canny observers dug out the July 13th edition of Chuck Klosterman's 'The Ethicist' and pointed to extraordinary coincidences between one readers letter and the now scandalous love tryst.

Writing about a deepening relationship he knew his wife was having with a 'government executive' whose job 'is seen worldwide as a demonstration of American leadership' the anonymous man offers up what could be considered in hindsight as striking information.

The letter writer  explains that 'exposing the affair will create a major distraction that would adversely impact the success of an important effort,' and asks 'The Ethicist' whether it is OK for him to 'suffer in silence for the next year or two for a project'.

Indeed, he seems pained to make it clear he believes the mission 'must succeed' and wants to know if he should confront his wife in some way and 'finally force closure' or if he should 'suffer in silence for the next year or two.'

The reader tells 'The Ethicist' that has 'watched the affair intensify over the last year' - which matches the timeline of the affair from August 2011 until around several months ago.

However, some have questioned whether the coincidences are just that and if the letter really was penned by Scott Broadwell.