diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index d9aa7dd8a58..d5ab34f6252 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -3,6 +3,13 @@
 	* configure.in (x_libraries): Remove standard 64-bit directories -
 	experimental workaround for minor autoconf bug.
 
+	* configure.in (--without-makeinfo): New option.  If set,
+	absence of suitable makeinfo is not a fatal error.
+	* Makefile.in (MAKEINFO): New, set by configure.
+	(install-arch-indep): Without makeinfo, ignore any missing manuals.
+	(info-real): New target.
+	(info): Without makeinfo, do nothing, else call `info-real'.
+
 2008-04-23  Dan Nicolaescu  <dann@ics.uci.edu>
 
 	* configure.in: Remove hpux10.20 from the desupported list.
diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index 329ba07361b..8307c9d4ce9 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ CPPFLAGS=@CPPFLAGS@
 C_SWITCH_X_SITE=@C_SWITCH_X_SITE@
 LD_SWITCH_X_SITE=@LD_SWITCH_X_SITE@
 EXEEXT=@EXEEXT@
+MAKEINFO=@MAKEINFO@
 
 ### These help us choose version- and architecture-specific directories
 ### to install files in.
@@ -553,6 +554,7 @@ install-arch-indep: mkdir info install-etc
 	   fi; \
 	   cd ${srcdir}/info ; \
 	   for elt in $(INFO_FILES); do \
+	      test "$(MAKEINFO)" = "no" && ! test -e $$elt && continue; \
 	      for f in `ls $$elt $$elt-[1-9] $$elt-[1-9][0-9] 2>/dev/null`; do \
 	        ${INSTALL_DATA} $$f $(DESTDIR)${infodir}/$$f; \
 	        chmod a+r $(DESTDIR)${infodir}/$$f; \
@@ -564,6 +566,7 @@ install-arch-indep: mkdir info install-etc
 	if [ `(cd ${srcdir}/info && /bin/pwd)` != `(cd $(DESTDIR)${infodir} && /bin/pwd)` ]; \
 	then \
 	  for elt in $(INFO_FILES); do \
+	    test "$(MAKEINFO)" = "no" && ! test -e $$elt && continue; \
 	    (cd $${thisdir}; \
 	     ${INSTALL_INFO} --info-dir=$(DESTDIR)${infodir} $(DESTDIR)${infodir}/$$elt); \
 	  done; \
@@ -770,15 +773,23 @@ dist:
 	cd ${srcdir}; ./make-dist
 
 .PHONY: info dvi dist check html
+
+info-real: 
+	-(cd doc/emacs; $(MAKE) $(MFLAGS) info)
+	-(cd doc/misc; $(MAKE) $(MFLAGS) info)
+	-(cd doc/lispref; $(MAKE) $(MFLAGS) info)
+	-(cd doc/lispintro; $(MAKE) $(MFLAGS) info)
+
 force-info:
 # Note that man/Makefile knows how to
 # put the info files in $(srcdir),
 # so we can do ok running make in the build dir.
 info: force-info
-	-(cd doc/emacs; $(MAKE) $(MFLAGS) info)
-	-(cd doc/misc; $(MAKE) $(MFLAGS) info)
-	-(cd doc/lispref; $(MAKE) $(MFLAGS) info)
-	-(cd doc/lispintro; $(MAKE) $(MFLAGS) info)
+	@if test "$(MAKEINFO)" = "no"; then \
+	  echo "Configured without makeinfo, not building manuals" ; \
+	else \
+	  $(MAKE) $(MFLAGS) info-real ; \
+	fi
 
 # The info/dir file must be updated by hand when new manuals are added.
 check-info-dir: info