diff --git a/core/src/main/java/hudson/model/Hudson.java b/core/src/main/java/hudson/model/Hudson.java
index 36b941a3214f8a402a14c8cfecc17e898bc87dd9..d8beb2c7dd18f1a6c21c22ae3e3e7ee7028f00d8 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/hudson/model/Hudson.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/hudson/model/Hudson.java
@@ -701,7 +701,7 @@ public final class Hudson extends View implements ItemGroup<TopLevelItem>, Node
                 protected Collection<Computer> all() { return computers.values(); }
             })
             .add(new CollectionSearchIndex() {// for users
-                protected User get(String key) { return getUser(key); }
+                protected User get(String key) { return User.get(key,false); }
                 protected Collection<User> all() { return User.getAll(); }
             })
             .add(new CollectionSearchIndex() {// for views
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/hudson/model/User.java b/core/src/main/java/hudson/model/User.java
index e22fbd0ef49f74ffa1306ec86b21288740ed5301..95a2a3d4e0f212ded2536036c872fb02be913996 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/hudson/model/User.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/hudson/model/User.java
@@ -159,17 +159,14 @@ public class User extends AbstractModelObject {
         return get("unknown");
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Gets the {@link User} object by its id.
-     */
-    public static User get(String id) {
+    public static User get(String id, boolean create) {
         if(id==null)
             return null;
         id = id.replace('\\', '_').replace('/', '_');
         
         synchronized(byName) {
             User u = byName.get(id);
-            if(u==null) {
+            if(u==null && create) {
                 u = new User(id);
                 byName.put(id,u);
             }
@@ -177,6 +174,13 @@ public class User extends AbstractModelObject {
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Gets the {@link User} object by its id.
+     */
+    public static User get(String id) {
+        return get(id,true);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Gets all the users.
      */