When data is passed between XL C++ and COBOL with extern "COBOL", the C++ compiler generates the appropriate addressing code which introduces an extra level of indirection on the C++ side for non-pointer types. Pointers, however, are passed directly; meaning that for COBOL to receive a pointer to a C++ data type, C++ must pass a pointer to a pointer to the C++ data type. Conversely, if COBOL returns a pointer to a data type, C++ receives a pointer to a pointer to the data type.