diff --git a/src/share/classes/sun/tools/jconsole/Messages.java b/src/share/classes/sun/tools/jconsole/Messages.java
index eee57adcc252d0d974ebba43bb43908e236ba455..0a3a63e85ca2a606a195c64b0d56573155dd6d16 100644
--- a/src/share/classes/sun/tools/jconsole/Messages.java
+++ b/src/share/classes/sun/tools/jconsole/Messages.java
@@ -271,6 +271,7 @@ final public class Messages {
     public static String THREADS;
     public static String THREAD_TAB_THREAD_INFO_ACCESSIBLE_NAME;
     public static String THREAD_TAB_THREAD_PLOTTER_ACCESSIBLE_NAME;
+    public static String THREAD_TAB_INITIAL_STACK_TRACE_MESSAGE;
     public static String THRESHOLD;
     public static String TILE;
     public static String TIME_RANGE_COLON;
diff --git a/src/share/classes/sun/tools/jconsole/ThreadTab.java b/src/share/classes/sun/tools/jconsole/ThreadTab.java
index 3932ffa145e427dcd37ee85c10c1f0453bfbf509..6cf710a2dff48ae786e11904cecee13392389b86 100644
--- a/src/share/classes/sun/tools/jconsole/ThreadTab.java
+++ b/src/share/classes/sun/tools/jconsole/ThreadTab.java
@@ -596,6 +596,7 @@ class ThreadTab extends Tab implements ActionListener, DocumentListener, ListSel
             setBorder(thinEmptyBorder);
 
             setSelectionMode(ListSelectionModel.SINGLE_SELECTION);
+            textArea.setText(Messages.THREAD_TAB_INITIAL_STACK_TRACE_MESSAGE);
             addListSelectionListener(ThreadTab.this);
             setCellRenderer(new DefaultListCellRenderer() {
                 public Component getListCellRendererComponent(JList<?> list, Object value, int index,
diff --git a/src/share/classes/sun/tools/jconsole/resources/messages.properties b/src/share/classes/sun/tools/jconsole/resources/messages.properties
index 70ff2f16c6e7d0c387bc697761d2279ed320b85b..832621731b9c35857ed4f723e21fad81d5018901 100644
--- a/src/share/classes/sun/tools/jconsole/resources/messages.properties
+++ b/src/share/classes/sun/tools/jconsole/resources/messages.properties
@@ -229,6 +229,7 @@ SUMMARY_TAB_VM_VERSION={0} version {1}
 THREADS=Threads
 THREAD_TAB_THREAD_INFO_ACCESSIBLE_NAME=Thread Information
 THREAD_TAB_THREAD_PLOTTER_ACCESSIBLE_NAME=Chart for number of threads.
+THREAD_TAB_INITIAL_STACK_TRACE_MESSAGE=[No thread selected]
 THRESHOLD=Threshold
 TILE=&Tile
 TIME_RANGE_COLON=&Time Range: