Another Million Little Pieces?

BunsenBurner · April 18, 2011, 1:07pm

His book has been mentioned many, many times in the best books thread in the CC Cafe. Sadly, it looks like some of the heartwarming stories in the book have been fabricated:

[Is</a> Three Cups of Tea Writer Greg Mortenson a Fraud?](<a href=“http://news.yahoo.com/s/dailybeast/20110418/ts_dailybeast/13572_isthreecupsofteawritergregmortensonafraud]Is”>http://news.yahoo.com/s/dailybeast/20110418/ts_dailybeast/13572_isthreecupsofteawritergregmortensonafraud)

If the allegations are true, then we all have been taken for a long ride…

Even President Obama was so smitten with Mortenson that he donated $100,000 of his Nobel Peace Prize money to the Bozeman, Montana-based Central Asia Institute, which claimed to have built more than 140 schools, mostly for girlsyet another exaggeration, reported Kroft, who said 30 schools claimed by the institute were visited or checked by 60 Minutes, and roughly half were empty, built by somebody else, or not receiving support at all. White House press secretary Jay Carney didnt answer an email asking the presidents reaction to the 60 Minutes scoop. 

Kroft reported that half a dozen staffers and board members have left Mortensons nonprofit in recent years over concerns about how its money was budgeted. The charity has filed only one public IRS return in its 14 years of existence, last years, and reported spending $1.7 million for Mortensons book promotion travels, including on private jets. Krakauer, who stopped supporting the institute nine years ago after donating $75,000, said he was told by a staffer that Greg uses Central Asia Institute as his private ATM machinethat theres no accounting. He has no receipts.

emeraldkity4 · April 18, 2011, 1:21pm

well you know what the road to hell is paved with.

alwaysamom · April 18, 2011, 1:26pm

I saw the 60 Minutes segment last night. I never donated to his charity, and am a little surprised that President Obama wouldn’t have been a little more careful about checking out where his Nobel Prize dollars went. I think it’s a problem with a lot of people, though, who don’t look at financials of charities before making a donation. In any case, this is a very disappointing story.

katliamom · April 18, 2011, 1:29pm

It sounds like the man & his charity have done a lot of good. Just maybe not as much good as they claim – and under highly ‘dramatized-for-good-effect’ circumstances.

teriwtt · April 18, 2011, 2:02pm

I received an email from the organization last night after the 60 Minutes piece aired. I also did a follow up of the story on the 60 Minutes website which has links to written questions and answers.

[Questions</a> over Greg Mortenson’s stories - 60 Minutes - CBS News](<a href=“http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/15/60minutes/main20054397.shtml?tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel]Questions”>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/15/60minutes/main20054397.shtml?tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel)

Mortenson is having heart surgery this week, and has promised to address all the allegations after his recovery.

teriwtt · April 18, 2011, 2:06pm

Meant to add that he says CAI has a former disgruntled manager in Pakistan who was involved in some improprieties and CAI believes he may have been the source of CBS’ information.

So I don’t think the whole story is quite out, yet.

teriwtt · April 18, 2011, 3:05pm

Here is a copy of the email that was sent out to CAI donors:

Sunday, April 17, 2011
Asalaam-o-Alaikum (Peace Be With You). Greetings from Montana and on behalf of the dear children and communities we serve in rural Afghanistan and Pakistan.

<pre><code> Thank you (Tashakur and Shukuria) for the overwhelming response to the news in recent days, for the outpouring of support, prayers and the confidence that you, our supporters, have showered upon Central Asia Institute, Pennies For Peace and my family. In the midst of these difficult and challenging days, I keep thinking about the Persian proverb, “When it is darkest you can see the stars.” You are all shining lights and we are grateful for your compassion.

Although we would like the world to be linear, orderly and peaceful, the reality is that our world is a dynamic, fluid place, often filled with chaos and confusion. In that space, I thrive and get the courage to help bring change and empower people. I also feel great pride that you have chosen to support those who live in the ‘Last Best Places’, where other organizations or governments offer few or no services.

I welcome and am used to facing criticism, which sometimes even turns into hostility and threats, over the important work we do in Pakistan and Afghanistan. As an introvert and shy person, it is also not easy to have to enter an arena of a media circus at the drop of a heartbeat. But, as those of you who know me and have supported my work over the years will recognize, the story being framed by “60 Minutes” to air in a few hours today - as far as we can tell – paints a distorted picture using inaccurate information, innuendo and a microscopic focus on one year’s (2009) IRS 990 financial, and a few points in the book “Three Cups of Tea” that occurred almost 18 years ago. Apparently, the CBS program is to be followed in the near future by a similar negative piece by Jon Krakauer in an unknown magazine, which I only recently heard about last week.

The Board of Directors and I made the very difficult decision to not engage with “60 Minutes” on camera, after they attempted an eleventh hour aggressive approach to reach me, including an ambush in front of children at a book signing at a community service leadership convention in Atlanta. It was clear that the program’s disrespectful approach would not result in a fair, balanced or objective representation of our work, my books or our vital mission. We also turned down a last minute request for an interview with Jon Krakauer.

The “60 Minutes” program may appear to ask simple questions, but the answers are often complex, not easily encapsulated in 10-second sound bites. Working in isolated areas, in communities that are not on any map, and often in areas of turmoil, religious extremism or natural disasters where education is still relatively rare and ancient codes of conduct and social hierarchies still dominate - all these things demand constant adjustment, accommodation and patience.

We have always maintained that our work is about investing in relationships, respecting elders, and listening over a time span that stretches generations, not in one that lasts just a few minutes on prime time television.
</code></pre>

So although I did not do an on-camera interview, CAI’s Board of Directors and I have duly responded to questions provided us late last week by “60 Minutes” with both statements and answers. And as always we pride ourselves to be transparent with our financials and IRS 990 forms.

<pre><code> All of this can be found on our website, Central Asia Institute, and more information will be added in coming days.

Because of a medical condition mentioned below, I have spoken with our hometown newspaper, The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, about this attack, and the newsroom is closely following developments on this story:
</code></pre>

[Mortenson</a> under fire from ?60 Minutes? ? Bozeman philanthropist denies allegations - The Bozeman Daily Chronicle: News](<a href=“http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/article_4d3125cc-67d7-11e0-b861-001cc4c002e0.html]Mortenson”>Mortenson under fire from ‘60 Minutes’ — Bozeman philanthropist denies allegations)

[CAI</a> responds to Mortenson allegations - The Bozeman Daily Chronicle: News](<a href=“http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/article_4837c724-68b3-11e0-8add-001cc4c03286.html]CAI”>CAI responds to Mortenson allegations)

I also recently returned from Afghanistan, and was amazed to see how incredibly well everything is going there, including having five female managers (out of 15 total) and a plan to establish and build over 60 new schools this year. Our Board Chairman, Dr. Abdul Jabbar, also recently returned from an extensive trip to Pakistan. We will combine the news and send you an email and / or printed information within the next month to share the good news.

<pre><code> I would like to take this opportunity to disclose that for the last 18 months, I have been struggling with hypoxia (low oxygen saturation), which made it very difficult to get through a grueling schedule. My physician told me I had to stop and rest, however the urgency of what we do spurred me on. Last Friday (4/15/11), I came home and was diagnosed with a hole in my heart that was shunting blood, causing my low saturations.

Tomorrow, I will have further tests and then a heart surgical procedure this week to fix the hole. After a few weeks my doctor says I will be as good as new. For the first time in eighteen months, I will have tremendous energy, strength and lots of oxygen. At that time, I will come out fighting for what is right and just, and be able to talk to the media. Regardless of what happens, our work must go on. It’s most important to know that education is the only thing one can never take away from an individual; it remains forever.

It is a true blessing to be at home now, with family and friends. In the meantime, I send you my heartfelt thanks for your continued support, and if you have any questions or concerns at all, I urge you to contact our office. Our small committed staff will be responding as quickly as they can to answer your calls, e-mails and requests for more information.

Please feel free to pass on this email to your families, friends and colleagues, and if you feel compelled, please write letters to the editor, or your on-line communities, about your thoughts.
</code></pre>

You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Greg Mortenson
Bozeman, MT

emeraldkity4 · April 18, 2011, 3:13pm

Jon Krakauer has published an essay- which I have downloaded but not yet read.
[url=<a href=“http://byliner.com/]Byliner[/url”>http://byliner.com/]Byliner[/url</a>]

alwaysamom · April 18, 2011, 3:32pm

There may, indeed, be a disgruntled manager but there was information obtained from several different individuals, including former Board member and major donor, Jon Krakauer, who gave a very convincing, and fair, argument against how Mortenson has comported and portrayed himself, in his books, his public appearances, and in the running of the charity. The financial numbers alone lead me to believe that this charity has been misrepresented in very large fashion. Many charities are guilty of this but the numbers on this one are pretty appalling.

DonnaL · April 18, 2011, 11:45pm

Speaking as a completely neutral observer who knows little or nothing about this, Mortenson’s statement sounds like double-talk. I’d be far more likely to trust Jon Krakauer:

The first eight chapters of Three Cups of Tea are an
intricately wrought work of fiction presented as fact. And by
no means was this an isolated act of deceit. It turns out that
Mortenson’s books and public statements are permeated with
falsehoods. The image of Mortenson that has been created
for public consumption is an artifact born of fantasy, audacity,
and an apparently insatiable hunger for esteem. Mortenson
has lied about the noble deeds he has done, the risks
he has taken, the people he has met, the number of schools
he has built. Three Cups of Tea has much in common with A
Million Little Pieces, the infamous autobiography by James
Frey that was exposed as a sham. But Frey, unlike Mortenson,
didn’t use his phony memoir to solicit tens of millions
of dollars in donations from unsuspecting readers, myself
among them. Moreover, Mortenson’s charity, the Central
Asia Institute, has issued fraudulent financial statements, and
he has misused millions of dollars donated by schoolchildren
and other trusting devotees. “Greg,” says a former treasurer
of the organization’s board of directors, “regards CAI as his
personal ATM.”

MommaJ · April 19, 2011, 12:02am

Mortenson’s statement was quite the load of bull, wasn’t it? He didn’t address a single allegation in the 60 Minutes report. What really blew my away was learning that Mortensons’ whole tale of how he was initially rescued by villagers was apocryphal. This decline and fall will be interesting to watch.

emeraldkity4 · April 19, 2011, 12:04pm

Krakauer has more credibility. I am halfway through the essay, but had to stop because I was getting so mad.
Just going by the numbers of people that had been on the board of CAI ( Central Asia Institute) & resigned ( including the father of a friend who was the chair in 2001) out of frustration & anger with Mortenson, are not just coincidental.
Mortenson did use CAI as his personal ATM.
Using CAI funds to buy thousands of copies of his book to distribute at book signings ( allowing him to rack up sales & royalties that wouldn’t have counted had he gotten the book through the publisher).
Building schools, but not providing funds to hire or train teachers/buy supplies, so that the schools remain empty.
CAI does not receive any proceeds from the sale of his books, that is split between Mortenson & his ghostwriter, David Relin.
Painting the villages where different Muslim sects actually live side by side as “teeming with fundamentalist madrases & Taliban on the loose”, which is fear-mongering that serves his purpose to find more donors.
He is spending more money to charter jets & pay his own expenses than what goes towards CAI.
Some of his stories are exaggerated , some seem made up of whole cloth- they all make me very angry, as they took money away from organizations which actually were helping.

cartera45 · April 19, 2011, 12:26pm

I saw the interview with Krakauer and, even in his attack, he says that much good has been done by the foundation and that it is remains the leader in championing women’s education in the middle east. I hope Mortenson’s failures do not completely undo the good.

Onward · April 19, 2011, 1:04pm

And of course, it is the children of Afghanistan who will suffer from the fall out.

emeraldkity4 · April 19, 2011, 1:09pm

And of course, it is the children of Afghanistan who will suffer from the fall out.

They are already suffering.
But if the money gets directed to organizations which are actually helping children, then that is an improvement on the current state of affairs.

[American</a> Himalayan Foundation - Projects: Stop Girl Trafficking](<a href=“http://www.himalayan-foundation.org/live/project/stopgirltrafficking]American”>http://www.himalayan-foundation.org/live/project/stopgirltrafficking)

cottonwood513 · April 19, 2011, 1:55pm

I had just started reading the book days before the 60 Minutes piece. Still reading the book and following the story.

My initial curiosity about the whole story: How does anyone build schools for girls, in a culture where schooling girls is not a high priority?

SV2 · April 19, 2011, 2:39pm

More detailed responses

[Interview</a> with Greg Mortenson | OutsideOnline.com](<a href=“http://outsideonline.com/adventure/travel-ga-greg-mortenson-interview-sidwcmdev_155690.html?imw=Y]Interview”>http://outsideonline.com/adventure/travel-ga-greg-mortenson-interview-sidwcmdev_155690.html?imw=Y)

MommaJ · April 19, 2011, 4:10pm

From the above: It was all my ghost writer’s fault…it was a long time ago…time doesn’t mean anything to these people…I got snookered by a con man…it just so happens we recently got concerned about some of these very same financial issues…my dog ate my homework–oh wait, that last one wasn’t there.

I’m not buying any of it. When I read Three Cups of Tea, I of course was quite taken with Mortenson and his work, but also thought he was a very strange, complicated man. I’m saddened but not all that surprised by these revelations.

BunsenBurner · April 19, 2011, 5:31pm

A local newspaper columnist used a harsher title for his article:

[Three</a> Cups of Bull: Greg Mortenson and the value of truth | Seattle Times Newspaper](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/restlessnativeblog/2014814324_three_cups_of_bull_greg_mortenson_and_the_value_of_truth.html]Three”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/restlessnativeblog/2014814324_three_cups_of_bull_greg_mortenson_and_the_value_of_truth.html)

…

Hornbein was an early chairman of the Central Asia Institute’s board. Krakauer now reports that his friend Hornbein’s 2002 resignation from the board was a last resort after failed attempts to rein in Mortenson’s questionable accounting for funds, among other things.

Another Seattle man literally helped create the charity. Mortenson’s first benefactor was the late Jean Hoerni, a wealthy, Swiss-born physicist who pioneered modern microchip technology in the Silicon Valley, and donated $1 million to the cause before he died in 1997.

These were good deeds by good people. Many, many have followed as the Central Asia Institute, by all accounts a wonderful idea, has grown.

All of which makes it more infuriating to read Krakauer’s assertion that Mortenson, at a time when he says he was developing a spiritual connection with the kindly villagers in Korphe, was likely chilling in a comfy Western motel in another town.

To Mortenson supporters, it’s all too easy to swat away at Krakauer like an irritating gnat and dismiss the entire matter by asking The Big Question: In light of the good that Mortenson has done, do these little details really matter?

Damn right they do.

Mortenson’s “nonfiction” tale, used to solicit tax-free millions from donors who include penny-saving small children, is repeated before sell-out crowds all across America as gospel. 

The Korphe experience is the very heart of his story. It’s what makes Mortenson’s epiphany so fascinating, and made even typical skeptics such as myself want to believe it.

Korphe, you see, injects the element of fate into the plotline – as if some unseen hand guided this purposeless drifter, his spirit flagging, to that time and place, and made Mortenson its messenger moving forward. It also establishes Mortenson’s work as a repayment for unsolicited kindness supposedly shown first to him by others.

The truth, as it now appears, is that he did return and begin charity work in the region a year later, making his way to Korphe – after reneging on his promise to build a school in a village he actually had visited, Khane.

But without the Korphe selflessness, most of the magic in “Three Cups” goes poof.

…

cartera45 · April 19, 2011, 6:58pm

I wouldn’t care if he wrote about being abducted by aliens if he were really using the lion’s share of money raised to build and fund schools. As Krakauer said, he should brag about building 3 schools in one particular province. Instead, he claims to have built 11.

Another Million Little Pieces?

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