Index: Lib/test/test_xmlrpc.py
===================================================================
--- Lib/test/test_xmlrpc.py	(revision 63728)
+++ Lib/test/test_xmlrpc.py	(working copy)
@@ -639,9 +639,36 @@
         os.remove("xmldata.txt")
         os.remove(test_support.TESTFN)
 
+class UseDatetimeTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_use_datetime(self):
+        # SimpleXMLRPCDispatcher.__init__ accepts use_datetime, which makes
+        # all dispatch of datetime argument as datetime.datetime instances.
+        self.log = []
+        def foobar(mydate):
+            self.log.append(mydate)
+        handler = SimpleXMLRPCServer.SimpleXMLRPCDispatcher(
+            allow_none=True, encoding=None, use_datetime=True)
+        handler.register_function(foobar)
+        expected_date = datetime.datetime(2008, 5, 26, 18, 25, 12)
+        marshaled = xmlrpclib.dumps((expected_date, ), 'foobar')
+        handler._marshaled_dispatch(marshaled)
+        self.assertEqual(len(self.log), 1)
+        mydate = self.log[0]
+        self.assertEqual(mydate, expected_date)
+        self.assertTrue(isinstance(mydate, datetime.datetime))
+    
+    def test_cgihandler_has_use_datetime_flag(self):
+        handler = SimpleXMLRPCServer.CGIXMLRPCRequestHandler(use_datetime=True)
+        self.assertTrue(handler.use_datetime)
+    
+    def test_xmlrpcserver_has_use_datetime_flag(self):
+        server = SimpleXMLRPCServer.SimpleXMLRPCServer(("localhost", 0), 
+            use_datetime=True)
+        self.assertTrue(server.use_datetime)
+
 def test_main():
     xmlrpc_tests = [XMLRPCTestCase, HelperTestCase, DateTimeTestCase,
-         BinaryTestCase, FaultTestCase]
+         BinaryTestCase, FaultTestCase, UseDatetimeTestCase]
 
     # The test cases against a SimpleXMLRPCServer raise a socket error
     # 10035 (WSAEWOULDBLOCK) in the server thread handle_request call when
Index: Lib/SimpleXMLRPCServer.py
===================================================================
--- Lib/SimpleXMLRPCServer.py	(revision 63728)
+++ Lib/SimpleXMLRPCServer.py	(working copy)
@@ -164,11 +164,12 @@
     reason to instantiate this class directly.
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, allow_none, encoding):
+    def __init__(self, allow_none, encoding, use_datetime):
         self.funcs = {}
         self.instance = None
         self.allow_none = allow_none
         self.encoding = encoding
+        self.use_datetime = use_datetime
 
     def register_instance(self, instance, allow_dotted_names=False):
         """Registers an instance to respond to XML-RPC requests.
@@ -249,7 +250,7 @@
         """
 
         try:
-            params, method = xmlrpclib.loads(data)
+            params, method = xmlrpclib.loads(data, self.use_datetime)
 
             # generate response
             if dispatch_method is not None:
@@ -532,10 +533,11 @@
     _send_traceback_header = False
 
     def __init__(self, addr, requestHandler=SimpleXMLRPCRequestHandler,
-                 logRequests=True, allow_none=False, encoding=None, bind_and_activate=True):
+                 logRequests=True, allow_none=False, encoding=None, 
+                 bind_and_activate=True, use_datetime=False):
         self.logRequests = logRequests
 
-        SimpleXMLRPCDispatcher.__init__(self, allow_none, encoding)
+        SimpleXMLRPCDispatcher.__init__(self, allow_none, encoding, use_datetime)
         SocketServer.TCPServer.__init__(self, addr, requestHandler, bind_and_activate)
 
         # [Bug #1222790] If possible, set close-on-exec flag; if a
@@ -549,8 +551,8 @@
 class CGIXMLRPCRequestHandler(SimpleXMLRPCDispatcher):
     """Simple handler for XML-RPC data passed through CGI."""
 
-    def __init__(self, allow_none=False, encoding=None):
-        SimpleXMLRPCDispatcher.__init__(self, allow_none, encoding)
+    def __init__(self, allow_none=False, encoding=None, use_datetime=False):
+        SimpleXMLRPCDispatcher.__init__(self, allow_none, encoding, use_datetime)
 
     def handle_xmlrpc(self, request_text):
         """Handle a single XML-RPC request"""