diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
index a7d2b17..9847604 100644
--- a/.gitattributes
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -423,6 +423,7 @@ src/Fortran/Makefile.am -text
 src/Fortran/TestUnderscore.f -text
 src/Fortran/TestUnderscoreC.c -text
 src/Fortran/generate-h5-attribs-f.py -text
+src/Fortran/h5_private.h -text
 src/Makefile.am -text
 src/h5core/Makefile.am -text
 src/h5core/h5_attach.c -text
diff --git a/src/Fortran/h5_private.h b/src/Fortran/h5_private.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b8019db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Fortran/h5_private.h
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+/*
+  Copyright (c) 2006-2012, The Regents of the University of California,
+  through Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (subject to receipt of any
+  required approvals from the U.S. Dept. of Energy) and the Paul Scherrer
+  Institut (Switzerland).  All rights reserved.
+
+  License: see file COPYING in top level of source distribution.
+*/
+
+#ifndef __FORTRAN_H5_PRIVATE_H
+#define __FORTRAN_H5_PRIVATE_H
+
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+
+#include "h5core/h5_core.h"
+
+#include "Underscore.h"
+
+#if defined(F77_NO_UNDERSCORE)
+#define F77_NAME(a,b,c) a
+#elif defined(F77_SINGLE_UNDERSCORE)
+#define F77_NAME(a,b,c) b
+#elif defined(F77_CRAY_UNDERSCORE)
+#define F77_NAME(a,b,c) c
+#else
+#error Error, no way to determine how to construct fortran bindings
+#endif
+
+#define convert_type2for(type)                  \
+        if (*type == H5_STRING_T) {             \
+                *type = 1;                      \
+        } else if (*type == H5_INT16_T) {       \
+                *type = 2;                      \
+        } else if (*type == H5_INT32_T) {       \
+                *type = 3;                      \
+        } else if (*type == H5_INT64_T) {       \
+                *type = 4;                      \
+        } else if (*type == H5_FLOAT32_T) {     \
+                *type = 5;                      \
+        } else if (*type == H5_FLOAT64_T) {     \
+                *type = 6;                      \
+        } else {                                \
+                H5_API_LEAVE (                  \
+                        h5_error (              \
+                                H5_ERR_H5,      \
+                                "Unknown attribute type")); \
+        }
+
+static inline char*
+h5_strdupfor2c (
+	const char* s,
+	const ssize_t len
+	) {
+        // :FIXME: error handling
+	char* dup = (char*)malloc (len + 1);
+	strncpy (dup, s, len);
+	dup[len] = '\0';
+	for (int i = len-1; i >= 0; i--) {
+		if (dup[i] == ' ') dup[i] = '\0';
+		else break;
+	}
+	return dup;
+}
+
+static inline char*
+h5_strc2for (
+	char* const str,
+	const ssize_t l_str
+	) {
+	size_t len = strlen (str);
+	memset (str+len, ' ', l_str-len);
+
+	return str;
+}
+
+static inline h5_file_t*
+h5_filehandlefor2c (
+	const h5_int64_t* ptr
+	) {
+	return (h5_file_t*)ptr;
+}
+#endif