The return address latch 608 passes the address of the instruction following the delayed instruction of a call to the register file. This address is the return address of the call. This is provided for special instruction implemented in the preferred embodiment designated CALL, which places the address of the second following instruction of the call instruction into the location designated in the call instruction. Then a non-sequential instruction fetch occurs, to an instruction address given by an operand designated in the call instruction. A delay instruction immediately following the call instruction is executed before the non-sequential fetch occurs.