diff --git a/configuredialog.cpp b/configuredialog.cpp
index 4ce7d32e5..968809342 100644
--- a/configuredialog.cpp
+++ b/configuredialog.cpp
@@ -2173,6 +2173,7 @@ void AppearancePage::ReaderTab::load() {
 
   QVBoxLayout *vlay = new QVBoxLayout( this, KDialog::marginHint(), KDialog::spacingHint() );
 
+  // Fallback Character Encoding
   QHBoxLayout *hlay = new QHBoxLayout( vlay ); // inherits spacing
   mCharsetCombo = new QComboBox( this );
   QStringList encodings = KMMsgBase::supportedEncodings( false );
@@ -2204,12 +2205,46 @@ void AppearancePage::ReaderTab::load() {
   hlay->addWidget( label );
   hlay->addWidget( mCharsetCombo );
 
+  // Override Character Encoding
+  hlay = new QHBoxLayout( vlay ); // inherits spacing
+  mOverrideCharsetCombo = new QComboBox( this );
+  encodings.prepend( i18n( "Auto" ) );
+  mOverrideCharsetCombo->insertStringList( encodings );
+  mOverrideCharsetCombo->setCurrentItem(0);
+
+  it = encodings.begin();
+  QString currentOverrideEncoding = GlobalSettings::overrideCharacterEncoding();
+  i = 1;
+  for( ; it != end; ++it)
+  {
+    if( KGlobal::charsets()->encodingForName(*it) == currentOverrideEncoding )
+    {
+      mOverrideCharsetCombo->setCurrentItem( i );
+      break;
+    }
+    i++;
+  }
+  connect( mOverrideCharsetCombo, SIGNAL( activated( int ) ),
+           this, SLOT( slotEmitChanged( void ) ) );
+
+  QString overrideCharsetWhatsThis = 
+    i18n( GlobalSettings::self()->overrideCharacterEncodingItem()->whatsThis().utf8() );
+  QWhatsThis::add( mOverrideCharsetCombo, overrideCharsetWhatsThis );
+
+  label = new QLabel( i18n("&Override Character Encoding"), this );
+  label->setBuddy( mOverrideCharsetCombo );
+
+  hlay->addWidget( label );
+  hlay->addWidget( mOverrideCharsetCombo );
+
   vlay->addStretch( 100 ); // spacer
 }
 
 void AppearancePage::ReaderTab::save() {
   GlobalSettings::setFallbackCharacterEncoding(
       KGlobal::charsets()->encodingForName( mCharsetCombo->currentText() ) );
+  GlobalSettings::setOverrideCharacterEncoding(
+      KGlobal::charsets()->encodingForName( mOverrideCharsetCombo->currentText() ) );
 }
 
 
diff --git a/configuredialog_p.h b/configuredialog_p.h
index 512ad5b2d..c473b3c33 100644
--- a/configuredialog_p.h
+++ b/configuredialog_p.h
@@ -489,6 +489,7 @@ public:
 
 private: // data
   QComboBox *mCharsetCombo;
+  QComboBox *mOverrideCharsetCombo;
 };
 
 
diff --git a/kmail.kcfg b/kmail.kcfg
index 9cc53d816..b3210e5ec 100644
--- a/kmail.kcfg
+++ b/kmail.kcfg
@@ -369,7 +369,13 @@
        <default code="true"> QCString(QTextCodec::codecForLocale()->name()).lower() == "eucjp"? "jis7" : QCString(QTextCodec::codecForLocale()->name()).lower()</default>
        <label></label>
        <whatsthis>Some emails, especially those generated automatically, do not specify the character encoding which needs to be used to properly display them. In such cases a fallback character encoding will be used, which you can configure here. Set it to the character encoding most commonly used in your part of the world. As a default the encoding configured for the whole system is used.</whatsthis> 
-       </entry>
+     </entry>
+
+     <entry name="OverrideCharacterEncoding" type="String" key="encoding">
+       <default></default>
+       <label></label>
+       <whatsthis>Changing this from its default 'Auto' will force the use of the specified encoding for all emails, regardless of what they specify themselves.</whatsthis> 
+     </entry>
 
 
     </group>
diff --git a/kmmainwidget.cpp b/kmmainwidget.cpp
index a9592b77a..4cc5f61e7 100644
--- a/kmmainwidget.cpp
+++ b/kmmainwidget.cpp
@@ -221,7 +221,6 @@ void KMMainWidget::readPreConfig(void)
   const KConfigGroup general( KMKernel::config(), "General" );
 
   mLongFolderList = geometry.readEntry( "FolderList", "long" ) != "short";
-  mEncodingStr = general.readEntry("encoding", "").latin1();
   mReaderWindowActive = geometry.readEntry( "readerWindowMode", "below" ) != "hide";
   mReaderWindowBelow = geometry.readEntry( "readerWindowMode", "below" ) == "below";
 }
@@ -443,8 +442,6 @@ void KMMainWidget::writeConfig(void)
   // save the state of the unread/total-columns
   geometry.writeEntry( "UnreadColumn", mFolderTree->unreadIndex() );
   geometry.writeEntry( "TotalColumn", mFolderTree->totalIndex() );
-
-  general.writeEntry("encoding", QString(mEncodingStr));
 }
 
 
@@ -522,8 +519,8 @@ void KMMainWidget::createWidgets(void)
   accel->connectItem(accel->insertItem(SHIFT+Key_Right),
                      mHeaders, SLOT(selectNextMessage()));
 
-  if (!mEncodingStr.isEmpty())
-    mCodec = KMMsgBase::codecForName(mEncodingStr);
+  if (!GlobalSettings::overrideCharacterEncoding().isEmpty())
+    mCodec = KMMsgBase::codecForName( GlobalSettings::overrideCharacterEncoding().latin1() );
   else mCodec = 0;
 
   if (mReaderWindowActive) {
@@ -677,14 +674,15 @@ void KMMainWidget::activatePanners(void)
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 void KMMainWidget::slotSetEncoding()
 {
-    mEncodingStr = KGlobal::charsets()->encodingForName(mEncoding->currentText()).latin1();
+  GlobalSettings::setOverrideCharacterEncoding( 
+      KGlobal::charsets()->encodingForName( mEncoding->currentText()).latin1() );
     if (mEncoding->currentItem() == 0) // Auto
     {
       mCodec = 0;
-      mEncodingStr = "";
+      GlobalSettings::setOverrideCharacterEncoding( "" );
     }
     else
-      mCodec = KMMsgBase::codecForName( mEncodingStr );
+      mCodec = KMMsgBase::codecForName( GlobalSettings::overrideCharacterEncoding().latin1() );
     if (mMsgView)
       mMsgView->setOverrideCodec(mCodec);
     return;
@@ -2386,7 +2384,7 @@ void KMMainWidget::setupActions()
   int i = 0;
   for( it = encodings.begin(); it != encodings.end(); ++it)
   {
-    if ( KGlobal::charsets()->encodingForName(*it ) == QString(mEncodingStr) )
+    if ( KGlobal::charsets()->encodingForName(*it ) == GlobalSettings::overrideCharacterEncoding() )
     {
       mEncoding->setCurrentItem( i );
       break;
diff --git a/kmmainwidget.h b/kmmainwidget.h
index 41c7c2dee..667be6da5 100644
--- a/kmmainwidget.h
+++ b/kmmainwidget.h
@@ -429,7 +429,6 @@ private:
   QPopupMenu   *mViewMenu, *mBodyPartsMenu;
   KSelectAction *mEncoding;
   KAction       *mlistFilterAction;
-  QCString	mEncodingStr;
   bool		mIntegrated;
   bool          mBeepOnNew;
   bool          mConfirmEmpty;