Index: Lib/tarfile.py
===================================================================
--- Lib/tarfile.py	(revision 75934)
+++ Lib/tarfile.py	(working copy)
@@ -1579,6 +1579,16 @@
                 self.fileobj.write(buf)
                 self.offset += len(buf)
 
+    #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # Support of 'with' statemet
+    #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
+    def __enter__(self):
+        return self
+
+    def __exit__(self, type, value, tb):
+        self.close()
+
+
     def _getposix(self):
         return self.format == USTAR_FORMAT
     def _setposix(self, value):
Index: Lib/test/test_tarfile.py
===================================================================
--- Lib/test/test_tarfile.py	(revision 75934)
+++ Lib/test/test_tarfile.py	(working copy)
@@ -1261,6 +1261,23 @@
     def test_partial_input_bz2(self):
         self._test_partial_input("r:bz2")
 
+class WithStmtTest(unittest.TestCase):
+    # Support of with statement
+    tarname = tarname
+    mode = "r:"
+    
+    def test_with_statement (self):
+        with tarfile.open(self.tarname) as self.tar:
+            tarinfo = self.tar.getmember("ustar/regtype")
+            fobj = self.tar.extractfile(tarinfo)
+            data = fobj.read()
+            self.assertTrue((len(data), md5sum(data)) == (tarinfo.size, md5_regtype),
+                "extraction  using 'with' statement failed")
+            
+        self.assertTrue(self.tar.closed, "file not closed using 'with' statement")
+
+
+        
 
 def test_main():
     if not os.path.exists(TEMPDIR):
@@ -1283,6 +1300,7 @@
         PaxUnicodeTest,
         AppendTest,
         LimitsTest,
+        WithStmtTest
     ]
 
     if hasattr(os, "link"):