diff --git a/com.ibm.wala.core/src/com/ibm/wala/analysis/typeInference/TypeInference.java b/com.ibm.wala.core/src/com/ibm/wala/analysis/typeInference/TypeInference.java
index 2448b1b6b..1d2c51e1f 100644
--- a/com.ibm.wala.core/src/com/ibm/wala/analysis/typeInference/TypeInference.java
+++ b/com.ibm.wala.core/src/com/ibm/wala/analysis/typeInference/TypeInference.java
@@ -727,8 +727,8 @@ public class TypeInference extends SSAInference<TypeVariable> implements FixedPo
 
     @Override
     public IVariable makeVariable(int valueNumber) {
-      SymbolTable st = ir.getSymbolTable();
       if (doPrimitives) {
+        SymbolTable st = ir.getSymbolTable();
         if (st.isConstant(valueNumber)) {
           if (st.isBooleanConstant(valueNumber)) {
             return new TypeVariable(language.getPrimitive(language.getConstantType(Boolean.TRUE)));
@@ -752,8 +752,9 @@ public class TypeInference extends SSAInference<TypeVariable> implements FixedPo
     if (valueNumber < 0) {
       throw new IllegalArgumentException("bad value number " + valueNumber);
     }
-    assert getVariable(valueNumber) != null : "null variable for value number " + valueNumber;
-    return getVariable(valueNumber).getType();
+    TypeVariable variable = getVariable(valueNumber);
+    assert variable != null : "null variable for value number " + valueNumber;
+    return variable.getType();
   }
 
   public TypeAbstraction getConstantType(int valueNumber) {