diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index a5ad10f3f..51b2a8926 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+2003-04-27  Richard Frith-Macdonald <rfm@gnu.org>
+
+	* Source/NSUserDefaults.m: ([synchronize]) fix locking to permit
+	recursive call to this method, ensuring the distributed lock is
+	only obtained once.
+
 2003-04-17  Richard Frith-Macdonald <rfm@gnu.org>
 
 	* Headers/gnustep/base/GSCategories.h:
diff --git a/Source/NSDistributedLock.m b/Source/NSDistributedLock.m
index 64118a678..24c10c309 100644
--- a/Source/NSDistributedLock.m
+++ b/Source/NSDistributedLock.m
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ static NSFileManager	*mgr = nil;
 }
 
 /**
- * Returns the date at which the lock was aquired by any
+ * Returns the date at which the lock was aquired by <em>any</em>
  * NSDistributedLock using the same path.  If nothing has
  * the lock, this returns nil.
  */
diff --git a/Source/NSUserDefaults.m b/Source/NSUserDefaults.m
index c27080d4a..1fc40ea65 100644
--- a/Source/NSUserDefaults.m
+++ b/Source/NSUserDefaults.m
@@ -1321,10 +1321,13 @@ static BOOL isPlistObject(id o)
   NSDate		*started = [NSDateClass date];
   unsigned long		desired;
   unsigned long		attributes;
+  static BOOL		isLocked = NO;
+  BOOL			wasLocked;
 
   [_lock lock];
 
-  if (_fileLock != nil)
+  wasLocked = isLocked;
+  if (isLocked == NO && _fileLock != nil)
     {
       while ([_fileLock tryLock] == NO)
 	{
@@ -1364,6 +1367,7 @@ static BOOL isPlistObject(id o)
 	    }
 	  RELEASE(arp);
 	}
+      isLocked = YES;
     }
 
   /*
@@ -1403,7 +1407,11 @@ static BOOL isPlistObject(id o)
 	}
       if (wantRead == NO)
 	{
-	  [_fileLock unlock];
+	  if (wasLocked == NO)
+	    {
+	      [_fileLock unlock];
+	      isLocked = NO;
+	    }
 	  [_lock unlock];
 	  return YES;
 	}
@@ -1431,7 +1439,11 @@ static BOOL isPlistObject(id o)
       if (newDict == nil)
 	{
 	  NSLog(@"Unable to load defaults from '%@'", _defaultsDatabase);
-	  [_fileLock unlock];
+	  if (wasLocked == NO)
+	    {
+	      [_fileLock unlock];
+	      isLocked = NO;
+	    }
 	  [_lock unlock];
 	  return NO;
 	}
@@ -1488,7 +1500,11 @@ static BOOL isPlistObject(id o)
 	{
 	  if (![_persDomains writeToFile: _defaultsDatabase atomically: YES])
 	    {
-	      [_fileLock unlock];
+	      if (wasLocked == NO)
+		{
+		  [_fileLock unlock];
+		  isLocked = NO;
+		}
 	      [_lock unlock];
 	      return NO;
 	    }
@@ -1513,7 +1529,11 @@ static BOOL isPlistObject(id o)
 	}
     }
 
-  [_fileLock unlock];
+  if (wasLocked == NO)
+    {
+      [_fileLock unlock];
+      isLocked = NO;
+    }
   [_lock unlock];
   return YES;
 }