diff --git a/ietf/person/templatetags/person_filters.py b/ietf/person/templatetags/person_filters.py
index 5e1ae40ca..73d8e4914 100644
--- a/ietf/person/templatetags/person_filters.py
+++ b/ietf/person/templatetags/person_filters.py
@@ -23,11 +23,19 @@ def person_by_name(name):
     alias = Alias.objects.filter(name=name).first()
     return alias.person if alias else None
 
+# CLEANUP: There are several hundred Person objects with no Alias object,
+# violating the expectiations of the code. The check for the existance of an
+# alias object below matching the person's name avoids presenting a link that
+# we know will 404. When the database is corrected and we can expect that the
+# Alias for the person's name to always be there, we can remove this extra
+# database query (or leave it as a safeguard until it becomes a performance
+# issue.)
+ 
 @register.inclusion_tag('person/person_link.html')
 def person_link(person, **kwargs):
     title = kwargs.get('title', '')
     cls = kwargs.get('class', '')
-    name = person.name
+    name = person.name if person.alias_set.filter(name=person.name).exists() else ''
     plain_name = person.plain_name()
     email = person.email_address()
     return {'name': name, 'plain_name': plain_name, 'email': email, 'title': title, 'class': cls}
@@ -37,7 +45,7 @@ def person_link(person, **kwargs):
 def email_person_link(email, **kwargs):
     title = kwargs.get('title', '')
     cls = kwargs.get('class', '')
-    name = email.person.name
+    name = email.person.name if email.person.alias_set.filter(name=email.person.name).exists() else ''
     plain_name = email.person.plain_name()
     email = email.address
     return {'name': name, 'plain_name': plain_name, 'email': email, 'title': title, 'class': cls}