diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 4f38815b47..43d0866a57 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ version 1.0.
 Trunk (not on release branches yet)
 -----------------------------------
 
+- No longer require extra include flag for the C++ bindings.
+  --> Expected 1.2.3
 - Fix problem with optional Fortran types to be correctly initialized.
   --> Expected ?1.2.x?
 - Release tarballs now use Autoconf 2.61 and Automake 1.10.
diff --git a/config/ompi_setup_wrappers.m4 b/config/ompi_setup_wrappers.m4
index 99a69e8236..2e4f61c6d8 100644
--- a/config/ompi_setup_wrappers.m4
+++ b/config/ompi_setup_wrappers.m4
@@ -226,12 +226,7 @@ AC_DEFUN([OMPI_SETUP_WRAPPER_FINAL],[
     AC_MSG_RESULT([$OMPI_WRAPPER_EXTRA_LIBS])
 
     AC_MSG_CHECKING([for OMPI extra include dirs])
-    if test "$WANT_INSTALL_HEADERS" = "1" ; then
-        # Always include openmpi in case C++ bindings get installed
-        OMPI_WRAPPER_EXTRA_INCLUDES="$ORTE_WRAPPER_EXTRA_INCLUDES"
-    else
-        OMPI_WRAPPER_EXTRA_INCLUDES="$ORTE_WRAPPER_EXTRA_INCLUDES openmpi"
-    fi
+    OMPI_WRAPPER_EXTRA_INCLUDES="$ORTE_WRAPPER_EXTRA_INCLUDES"
     AC_SUBST([OMPI_WRAPPER_EXTRA_INCLUDES])
     AC_MSG_RESULT([$OMPI_WRAPPER_EXTRA_INCLUDES])
 
diff --git a/ompi/mpi/cxx/Makefile.am b/ompi/mpi/cxx/Makefile.am
index f69466a0a0..e26e93cbe0 100644
--- a/ompi/mpi/cxx/Makefile.am
+++ b/ompi/mpi/cxx/Makefile.am
@@ -18,10 +18,12 @@
 # $HEADER$
 #
 
-# *_DATA files are not automatically included in the tarball.  Need to
-# ensure that README.txt is picked up so that people who disable the
-# C++ MPI bindings can still build properly.
-EXTRA_DIST = README.txt
+# Need the first so that we can get the path names correct inside the
+# MPI C++ library.  The second is necessary so that mpi.h doesn't
+# include mpicxx.h through the incorrect pathname in any of the C++
+# bindings .c files.  Just use the define for this purpose from user
+# code.
+AM_CPPFLAGS = -DOMPI_BUILDING_CXX_BINDINGS_LIBRARY=1 -DOMPI_SKIP_MPICXX=1
 
 if WANT_MPI_CXX_BINDINGS
 
@@ -72,10 +74,4 @@ headers = \
 ompidir = $(includedir)/openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx
 ompi_HEADERS = \
         $(headers)
-else
-# If the C++ bindings were disabled, still ensure that this directory
-# is created so that the default -I flags in the wrapper compilers
-# point to a directory that exists.
-ompidir = $(includedir)/openmpi
-ompi_DATA = README.txt
 endif
diff --git a/ompi/mpi/cxx/README.txt b/ompi/mpi/cxx/README.txt
deleted file mode 100644
index 8f54f63867..0000000000
--- a/ompi/mpi/cxx/README.txt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-This file is here solely as a placeholder so that Open MPI's
-Automake-based installer creates the installation directory
-$(installdir)/openmpi (you must have disabled the MPI C++ bindings,
-because they would normally create this directory automatically).  
diff --git a/ompi/mpi/cxx/mpicxx.h b/ompi/mpi/cxx/mpicxx.h
index ba928a0512..2228397ad0 100644
--- a/ompi/mpi/cxx/mpicxx.h
+++ b/ompi/mpi/cxx/mpicxx.h
@@ -166,6 +166,10 @@ namespace MPI {
   typedef void User_function(const void* invec, void* inoutvec, int len,
 			     const Datatype& datatype);
 
+    /* Prevent needing a -I${prefix}/include/openmpi, as it seems to
+       really annoy peope that don't use the wrapper compilers and is
+       no longer worth the fight of getting right... */
+#ifdef OMPI_BUILDING_CXX_BINDINGS_LIBRARY
 #include "ompi/mpi/cxx/exception.h"
 #include "ompi/mpi/cxx/op.h"
 #include "ompi/mpi/cxx/status.h"
@@ -179,6 +183,21 @@ namespace MPI {
 #include "ompi/mpi/cxx/topology.h"  //includes Cartcomm and Graphcomm
 #include "ompi/mpi/cxx/intercomm.h"
 #include "ompi/mpi/cxx/info.h"
+#else
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/exception.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/op.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/status.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/request.h"   //includes class Prequest
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/group.h" 
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/comm.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/win.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/file.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/errhandler.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/intracomm.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/topology.h"  //includes Cartcomm and Graphcomm
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/intercomm.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/info.h"
+#endif
 
     extern opal_mutex_t *mpi_map_mutex;
 }
@@ -199,6 +218,8 @@ namespace MPI {
 // PMPI functions, and this top layer is in the XXX.cc files.
 //
 
+/* see note above... */
+#ifdef OMPI_BUILDING_CXX_BINDINGS_LIBRARY
 #include "ompi/mpi/cxx/datatype_inln.h"
 #include "ompi/mpi/cxx/functions_inln.h"
 #include "ompi/mpi/cxx/request_inln.h"
@@ -213,6 +234,22 @@ namespace MPI {
 #include "ompi/mpi/cxx/info_inln.h"
 #include "ompi/mpi/cxx/win_inln.h"
 #include "ompi/mpi/cxx/file_inln.h"
+#else
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/datatype_inln.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/functions_inln.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/request_inln.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/comm_inln.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/intracomm_inln.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/topology_inln.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/intercomm_inln.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/group_inln.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/op_inln.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/errhandler_inln.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/status_inln.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/info_inln.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/win_inln.h"
+#include "openmpi/ompi/mpi/cxx/file_inln.h"
+#endif
 
 #endif // #if defined(__cplusplus) || defined(c_plusplus) 
 #endif // #ifndef MPIPP_H_