diff --git a/src/CHANGELOG b/src/CHANGELOG
index e3689016a..92d583ac3 100755
--- a/src/CHANGELOG
+++ b/src/CHANGELOG
@@ -104,6 +104,8 @@ and important fixes to let ECL work better with Slime.
  - SOCKET-MAKE-STREAM defaults :BUFFERING to :FULL and allows three new keyword
    arguments, :INPUT, :OUTPUT and :EXTERNAL-FORMAT, as in SBCL.
 
+ - COMPILE-FILE admits the keyword argument :EXTERNAL-FORMAT.
+
 ;;; Local Variables: ***
 ;;; mode:text ***
 ;;; fill-column:79 ***
diff --git a/src/cmp/cmpmain.lsp b/src/cmp/cmpmain.lsp
index 728304aa4..2f5288660 100755
--- a/src/cmp/cmpmain.lsp
+++ b/src/cmp/cmpmain.lsp
@@ -565,6 +565,7 @@ static cl_object VV[VM];
 		      (shared-data-file nil)
 		      (system-p nil)
 		      (load nil)
+                      (external-format :default)
 		      output-file
                       &aux (*standard-output* *standard-output*)
                            (*error-output* *error-output*)
@@ -649,7 +650,8 @@ compiled successfully, returns the pathname of the compiled file"
 		    with the flag :SYSTEM-P set to T."))
 	  (data-init))
 
-      (with-open-file (*compiler-input* *compile-file-pathname*)
+      (with-open-file (*compiler-input* *compile-file-pathname*
+                                        :external-format external-format)
 	(do* ((ext:*source-location* (cons *compile-file-pathname* 0))
               (*compile-file-position* 0 (file-position *compiler-input*))
               (form (si::read-object-or-ignore *compiler-input* eof)
diff --git a/src/new-cmp/cmpmain.lsp b/src/new-cmp/cmpmain.lsp
index 486dcb9df..331afc05a 100644
--- a/src/new-cmp/cmpmain.lsp
+++ b/src/new-cmp/cmpmain.lsp
@@ -447,6 +447,7 @@ static cl_object VV[VM];
 		      (shared-data-file nil)
 		      (system-p nil)
 		      (load nil)
+                      (external-format :default)
 		      output-file
                       &aux (*standard-output* *standard-output*)
                            (*error-output* *error-output*)
@@ -535,7 +536,8 @@ compiled successfully, returns the pathname of the compiled file"
 					 (if system-p :object :fasl)))
 
       (with-t1expr (init-name)
-        (with-open-file (*compiler-input* *compile-file-pathname*)
+        (with-open-file (*compiler-input* *compile-file-pathname*
+                                          :external-format external-format)
           (do* ((ext:*source-location* (cons *compile-file-pathname* 0))
                 (*compile-file-position* 0 (file-position *compiler-input*))
                 (form (si::read-object-or-ignore *compiler-input* eof)