diff --git a/Source/cmTargetLinkLibrariesCommand.cxx b/Source/cmTargetLinkLibrariesCommand.cxx
index 21acf8075..0bccd27d7 100644
--- a/Source/cmTargetLinkLibrariesCommand.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmTargetLinkLibrariesCommand.cxx
@@ -64,15 +64,22 @@ bool cmTargetLinkLibrariesCommand
 
   // add libraries, nothe that there is an optional prefix 
   // of debug and optimized than can be used
-  std::vector<std::string>::const_iterator i = args.begin();
-  
-  for(++i; i != args.end(); ++i)
+  for(unsigned int i=1; i < args.size(); ++i)
     {
-    if(*i == "INTERFACE")
+    if(args[i] == "LINK_INTERFACE_LIBRARIES")
       {
       this->DoingInterface = true;
+      if(i != 1)
+        {
+        this->Makefile->IssueMessage(
+          cmake::FATAL_ERROR,
+          "The LINK_INTERFACE_LIBRARIES option must appear as the second "
+          "argument, just after the target name."
+          );
+        return true;
+        }
       }
-    else if(*i == "debug")
+    else if(args[i] == "debug")
       {
       if(haveLLT)
         {
@@ -81,7 +88,7 @@ bool cmTargetLinkLibrariesCommand
       llt = cmTarget::DEBUG;
       haveLLT = true;
       }
-    else if(*i == "optimized")
+    else if(args[i] == "optimized")
       {
       if(haveLLT)
         {
@@ -90,7 +97,7 @@ bool cmTargetLinkLibrariesCommand
       llt = cmTarget::OPTIMIZED;
       haveLLT = true;
       }
-    else if(*i == "general")
+    else if(args[i] == "general")
       {
       if(haveLLT)
         {
@@ -103,7 +110,7 @@ bool cmTargetLinkLibrariesCommand
       {
       // The link type was specified by the previous argument.
       haveLLT = false;
-      this->HandleLibrary(i->c_str(), llt);
+      this->HandleLibrary(args[i].c_str(), llt);
       }
     else
       {
@@ -129,7 +136,7 @@ bool cmTargetLinkLibrariesCommand
           llt = cmTarget::OPTIMIZED;
           }
         }
-      this->HandleLibrary(i->c_str(), llt);
+      this->HandleLibrary(args[i].c_str(), llt);
       }
     } 
 
diff --git a/Source/cmTargetLinkLibrariesCommand.h b/Source/cmTargetLinkLibrariesCommand.h
index 6a9c0f4d4..cc37608b7 100644
--- a/Source/cmTargetLinkLibrariesCommand.h
+++ b/Source/cmTargetLinkLibrariesCommand.h
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ public:
   virtual const char* GetFullDocumentation()
     {
     return
-      "  target_link_libraries(<target> [INTERFACE]\n"
+      "  target_link_libraries(<target> [lib1 [lib2 [...]]]\n"
       "                        [[debug|optimized|general] <lib>] ...)\n"
       "Specify a list of libraries to be linked into the specified target.  "
       "If any library name matches that of a target in the current project "
@@ -90,7 +90,9 @@ public:
       "See the LINK_INTERFACE_LIBRARIES target property to override the "
       "set of transitive link dependencies for a target."
       "\n"
-      "The INTERFACE option tells the command to append the libraries "
+      "  target_link_libraries(<target> LINK_INTERFACE_LIBRARIES\n"
+      "                        [[debug|optimized|general] <lib>] ...)\n"
+      "The LINK_INTERFACE_LIBRARIES mode appends the libraries "
       "to the LINK_INTERFACE_LIBRARIES and LINK_INTERFACE_LIBRARIES_DEBUG "
       "target properties instead of using them for linking.  "
       "Libraries specified as \"debug\" are appended to the "
diff --git a/Tests/ExportImport/Export/CMakeLists.txt b/Tests/ExportImport/Export/CMakeLists.txt
index f0c9017e7..595530795 100644
--- a/Tests/ExportImport/Export/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Tests/ExportImport/Export/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -54,7 +54,8 @@ add_library(testLib4libopt STATIC testLib4libdbg.c testLib4libopt${VS6}.c)
 set_property(TARGET testLib4libdbg PROPERTY COMPILE_DEFINITIONS LIB_DBG)
 set_property(TARGET testLib4libopt PROPERTY COMPILE_DEFINITIONS LIB_OPT)
 target_link_libraries(testLib4
-  INTERFACE testLib4lib debug testLib4libdbg optimized testLib4libopt
+  LINK_INTERFACE_LIBRARIES
+  testLib4lib debug testLib4libdbg optimized testLib4libopt
   )
 
 add_executable(testExe3 testExe3.c)