diff --git a/ompi/mpi/c/init.c b/ompi/mpi/c/init.c
index 0c2ee9ff44..aff8547c1a 100644
--- a/ompi/mpi/c/init.c
+++ b/ompi/mpi/c/init.c
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  * Copyright (c) 2004-2005 The University of Tennessee and The University
  *                         of Tennessee Research Foundation.  All rights
  *                         reserved.
- * Copyright (c) 2004-2005 High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart, 
+ * Copyright (c) 2004-2006 High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart, 
  *                         University of Stuttgart.  All rights reserved.
  * Copyright (c) 2004-2005 The Regents of the University of California.
  *                         All rights reserved.
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 
 #include <stdlib.h>
 
+#include "opal/util/show_help.h"
 #include "ompi/mpi/c/bindings.h"
 #include "ompi/constants.h"
 
@@ -44,12 +45,18 @@ int MPI_Init(int *argc, char ***argv)
   /* Ensure that we were not already initialized or finalized */
 
   if (ompi_mpi_finalized) {
-      /* JMS show_help */
+      if (0 == ompi_comm_rank(MPI_COMM_WORLD)) {
+          opal_show_help("help-mpi-api.txt", "mpi-function-after-finalize",
+                         true, FUNC_NAME);
+      }
       return ompi_errhandler_invoke(NULL, NULL, OMPI_ERRHANDLER_TYPE_COMM, 
                                     MPI_ERR_OTHER, FUNC_NAME);
   } else if (ompi_mpi_initialized) {
-    /* JMS show_help */
-    return OMPI_ERRHANDLER_INVOKE(MPI_COMM_WORLD, MPI_ERR_OTHER, FUNC_NAME);
+      if (0 == ompi_comm_rank(MPI_COMM_WORLD)) {
+          opal_show_help("help-mpi-api.txt", "mpi-initialize-twice",
+                         true, FUNC_NAME);
+      }
+      return OMPI_ERRHANDLER_INVOKE(MPI_COMM_WORLD, MPI_ERR_OTHER, FUNC_NAME);
   }
 
   /* check for environment overrides for required thread level.  If
diff --git a/ompi/mpi/c/init_thread.c b/ompi/mpi/c/init_thread.c
index 5f93b394c2..870c76368a 100644
--- a/ompi/mpi/c/init_thread.c
+++ b/ompi/mpi/c/init_thread.c
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  * Copyright (c) 2004-2005 The University of Tennessee and The University
  *                         of Tennessee Research Foundation.  All rights
  *                         reserved.
- * Copyright (c) 2004-2005 High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart, 
+ * Copyright (c) 2004-2006 High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart, 
  *                         University of Stuttgart.  All rights reserved.
  * Copyright (c) 2004-2005 The Regents of the University of California.
  *                         All rights reserved.
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 
 #include "ompi_config.h"
 
+#include "opal/util/show_help.h"
 #include "ompi/mpi/c/bindings.h"
 #include "ompi/constants.h"
 
@@ -52,11 +53,17 @@ int MPI_Init_thread(int *argc, char ***argv, int required,
     /* Ensure that we were not already initialized or finalized */
 
     if (ompi_mpi_finalized) {
-        /* JMS show_help */
+        if (0 == ompi_comm_rank(MPI_COMM_WORLD)) {
+            opal_show_help("help-mpi-api.txt", "mpi-function-after-finalize",
+                           true, FUNC_NAME);
+        }
         return ompi_errhandler_invoke(NULL, NULL, OMPI_ERRHANDLER_TYPE_COMM, 
                                       MPI_ERR_OTHER, FUNC_NAME);
     } else if (ompi_mpi_initialized) {
-        /* JMS show_help */
+        if (0 == ompi_comm_rank(MPI_COMM_WORLD)) {
+            opal_show_help("help-mpi-api.txt", "mpi-initialize-twice",
+                           true, FUNC_NAME);
+        }
         return OMPI_ERRHANDLER_INVOKE(MPI_COMM_WORLD, MPI_ERR_OTHER, FUNC_NAME);
     }
 
diff --git a/ompi/mpi/help-mpi-api.txt b/ompi/mpi/help-mpi-api.txt
index 1dd4ad5650..69ffa6f562 100644
--- a/ompi/mpi/help-mpi-api.txt
+++ b/ompi/mpi/help-mpi-api.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 # -*- text -*-
 #
+# Copyright (c) 2006      High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart, 
+#                         University of Stuttgart.  All rights reserved.
 # Copyright (c) 2006      Cisco Systems, Inc.  All rights reserved.
 # $COPYRIGHT$
 # 
@@ -9,6 +11,13 @@
 #
 # This is the US/English general help file for Open MPI.
 #
+[mpi-function-after-finalize]
+Calling any MPI-function after calling MPI_Finalize is erroneous.
+The only exceptions are MPI_Initialized, MPI_Finalized and MPI_Get_version.
+
+[mpi-initialize-twice]
+Calling MPI_Init or MPI_Init_thread twice is erroneous.
+
 [spawn-from-singleton]
 This version of Open MPI does not support %s from a 
 "singleton" application.  Specifically, you cannot invoke an MPI