diff --git a/src/pkg/http/response.go b/src/pkg/http/response.go
index eec9486c614..b20a6a003fb 100644
--- a/src/pkg/http/response.go
+++ b/src/pkg/http/response.go
@@ -130,26 +130,37 @@ func ReadResponse(r *bufio.Reader, requestMethod string) (resp *Response, err os
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	// Prepare body reader.  ContentLength < 0 means chunked encoding,
-	// since multipart is not supported yet
-	if resp.ContentLength < 0 {
-		resp.Body = &body{newChunkedReader(r), resp, r}
-	} else {
-		resp.Body = &body{io.LimitReader(r, resp.ContentLength), nil, nil}
+	// Prepare body reader.  ContentLength < 0 means chunked encoding
+	// or close connection when finished, since multipart is not supported yet
+	switch {
+	case chunked(resp.TransferEncoding):
+		resp.Body = &body{Reader: newChunkedReader(r), resp: resp, r: r, closing: resp.Close}
+	case resp.ContentLength >= 0:
+		resp.Body = &body{Reader: io.LimitReader(r, resp.ContentLength), closing: resp.Close}
+	default:
+		resp.Body = &body{Reader: r, closing: resp.Close}
 	}
 
 	return resp, nil
 }
 
-// ffwdClose (fast-forward close) adds a Close method to a Reader which skips
-// ahead until EOF
+// body turns a Reader into a ReadCloser.
+// Close ensures that the body has been fully read
+// and then reads the trailer if necessary.
 type body struct {
 	io.Reader
-	resp *Response     // non-nil value means read trailer
-	r    *bufio.Reader // underlying wire-format reader for the trailer
+	resp    *Response     // non-nil value means read trailer
+	r       *bufio.Reader // underlying wire-format reader for the trailer
+	closing bool          // is the connection to be closed after reading body?
 }
 
 func (b *body) Close() os.Error {
+	if b.resp == nil && b.closing {
+		// no trailer and closing the connection next.
+		// no point in reading to EOF.
+		return nil
+	}
+
 	trashBuf := make([]byte, 1024) // local for thread safety
 	for {
 		_, err := b.Read(trashBuf)
diff --git a/src/pkg/http/response_test.go b/src/pkg/http/response_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..51126570dbb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/pkg/http/response_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,165 @@
+// Copyright 2010 The Go Authors.  All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package http
+
+import (
+	"bufio"
+	"bytes"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"reflect"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+type respTest struct {
+	Raw  string
+	Resp Response
+	Body string
+}
+
+var respTests = []respTest{
+	// Unchunked response without Content-Length.
+	respTest{
+		"HTTP/1.0 200 OK\r\n" +
+			"Connection: close\r\n" +
+			"\r\n" +
+			"Body here\n",
+
+		Response{
+			Status: "200 OK",
+			StatusCode: 200,
+			Proto: "HTTP/1.0",
+			ProtoMajor: 1,
+			ProtoMinor: 0,
+			RequestMethod: "GET",
+			Header: map[string]string{
+				"Connection": "close", // TODO(rsc): Delete?
+			},
+			Close: true,
+			ContentLength: -1,
+		},
+
+		"Body here\n",
+	},
+
+	// Unchunked response with Content-Length.
+	respTest{
+		"HTTP/1.0 200 OK\r\n" +
+			"Content-Length: 10\r\n" +
+			"Connection: close\r\n" +
+			"\r\n" +
+			"Body here\n",
+
+		Response{
+			Status: "200 OK",
+			StatusCode: 200,
+			Proto: "HTTP/1.0",
+			ProtoMajor: 1,
+			ProtoMinor: 0,
+			RequestMethod: "GET",
+			Header: map[string]string{
+				"Connection": "close", // TODO(rsc): Delete?
+				"Content-Length": "10", // TODO(rsc): Delete?
+			},
+			Close: true,
+			ContentLength: 10,
+		},
+
+		"Body here\n",
+	},
+
+	// Chunked response without Content-Length.
+	respTest{
+		"HTTP/1.0 200 OK\r\n" +
+			"Transfer-Encoding: chunked\r\n" +
+			"\r\n" +
+			"0a\r\n" +
+			"Body here\n" +
+			"0\r\n" +
+			"\r\n",
+
+		Response{
+			Status: "200 OK",
+			StatusCode: 200,
+			Proto: "HTTP/1.0",
+			ProtoMajor: 1,
+			ProtoMinor: 0,
+			RequestMethod: "GET",
+			Header: map[string]string{},
+			Close: true,
+			ContentLength: -1,
+			TransferEncoding: []string{"chunked"},
+		},
+
+		"Body here\n",
+	},
+
+	// Chunked response with Content-Length.
+	respTest{
+		"HTTP/1.0 200 OK\r\n" +
+			"Transfer-Encoding: chunked\r\n" +
+			"Content-Length: 10\r\n" +
+			"\r\n" +
+			"0a\r\n" +
+			"Body here\n" +
+			"0\r\n" +
+			"\r\n",
+
+		Response{
+			Status: "200 OK",
+			StatusCode: 200,
+			Proto: "HTTP/1.0",
+			ProtoMajor: 1,
+			ProtoMinor: 0,
+			RequestMethod: "GET",
+			Header: map[string]string{},
+			Close: true,
+			ContentLength: -1, // TODO(rsc): Fix?
+			TransferEncoding: []string{"chunked"},
+		},
+
+		"Body here\n",
+	},
+}
+
+func TestReadResponse(t *testing.T) {
+	for i := range respTests {
+		tt := &respTests[i]
+		var braw bytes.Buffer
+		braw.WriteString(tt.Raw)
+		resp, err := ReadResponse(bufio.NewReader(&braw), tt.Resp.RequestMethod)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("#%d: %s", i, err)
+			continue
+		}
+		rbody := resp.Body
+		resp.Body = nil
+		diff(t, fmt.Sprintf("#%d Response", i), resp, &tt.Resp)
+		var bout bytes.Buffer
+		if rbody != nil {
+			io.Copy(&bout, rbody)
+			rbody.Close()
+		}
+		body := bout.String()
+		if body != tt.Body {
+			t.Errorf("#%d: Body = %q want %q", i, body, tt.Body)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func diff(t *testing.T, prefix string, have, want interface{}) {
+	hv := reflect.NewValue(have).(*reflect.PtrValue).Elem().(*reflect.StructValue)
+	wv := reflect.NewValue(want).(*reflect.PtrValue).Elem().(*reflect.StructValue)
+	if hv.Type() != wv.Type() {
+		t.Errorf("%s: type mismatch %v vs %v", prefix, hv.Type(), wv.Type())
+	}
+	for i := 0; i < hv.NumField(); i++ {
+		hf := hv.Field(i).Interface()
+		wf := wv.Field(i).Interface()
+		if !reflect.DeepEqual(hf, wf) {
+			t.Errorf("%s: %s = %v want %v", prefix, hv.Type().(*reflect.StructType).Field(i).Name, hf, wf)
+		}
+	}
+}