Three Cups of Tea disputed

Krakauer is quoted as saying "It’s a beautiful story. And it’s a lie."

who do you believe? the little guy making a difference,
or big money.

inure the public to greater systemic evils by pillorying minor, and possible false, evils, giving us a chance to purge our collective consciousness and rest easy that the bad apples have been thrown out.

60 MINUTES located three of the men in the photo, all of whom denied that they were Taliban and denied that they had kidnapped Mortenson. One the men in the photo is the research director of a respected think tank in Islamabad, Mansur Khan Mahsud. He tells Kroft that he and the others in the photo were Mortenson’s protectors, not his kidnappers. “We treated him as a guest and took care of him,” says Mahsud. “This is totally false and he is lying.” Asked why Mortenson would lie about the trip, Mahsud replies, “To sell his book.”"

So - the news is asking us to believe purported Taliban members. Wasn't it last year's theme that the Taliban was a bunch of (insert very negative and derogatory phrases)?


Krakauer is quoted as saying "It’s a beautiful story. And it’s a lie."

I DO hope that Krakauer is shown to be libel in that statement. It shouldn't be difficult at all to find those climb mates and have them sign affidavits if their story holds water.

The article also says Mortenson didn't respond to their inquiry. Perhaps the organization will see they have a need for a PR contact. They requested an interview, and he didn't respond. Looking at the Calender of Events which shows his scheduled appearances (link: http://www.threecupsoftea.com/events/calendar/); it's not really hard to imagine he may not have felt it all that urgent to speak to them. A person who is hiding something - well, maybe they would rush to defend themselves. But a person who hasn't got time for the bullshit drama of others....no.

One of the best damn lies I have ever read.

Krakauer is quoted as saying "It’s a beautiful story. And it’s a lie."


I'd consider that quote with more concern...if it wasn't attributed to a writer who has made a lucrative career casting aspersions at people

I know in some cases they have paid teacher (s) salaries while others built the school.

mortenson, however dubiously, brought to light tremendous regional problems, poverty, and thus potential for international aid. his mismanagement and sketchy ethics should not go unresolved, but what damage to we do by vilifying him so publicly and sensationally?

all the while at significant personal risk and sacrifice. Greg has faced far greater threats than Krakauer or 60 Minutes

I've known greg and his initial backer since the start of CAI and believe that what-ever small transgressions may have accumulated over the many years of difficult work

He also responded to questions "60 Minutes" raised about his finances in a letter, dated Wednesday. Kroft's letter said that a number of people have raised concerns that there is "inadequate separation" between the charity's finances and Mortenson's personal financial interests. CAI provided the "60 Minutes" letter to the Chronicle Friday.

The letter cited a warning from CAI's own attorneys last December and January that if audited by the IRS, Mortenson would likely be found in violation of rules against gaining "excess benefits" from the charity.

Kroft's letter pointed to CAI's 2009 nonprofit tax statement to the IRS, and asked why only 41 percent of the money it raised actually went to pay for schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The letter also questioned whether CAI is spending millions to advertise Mortenson's best-selling books and to hire charter jets to take him to $30,000 speaking engagements around the country, yet it received almost none of the money from his speeches and books.

Mortenson responded that he gets a royalty of about 40 or 50 cents per book, and that he has contributed more than $100,000 of his own money to CAI, which has more than offset the book royalties. The $30,000 fee for speaking is average, he said, adding he does some events for free.

Daniel Borochoff is president of the American Institute of Philanthropy, which has been examining and rating charitable organizations for the last two decades. He says the Central Asia Institute's financial statements show a lack of transparency, and a troublesome intermingling of Mortenson's personal business interests with the charity's public purpose.

According to the documents, the non-profit spends more money domestically, promoting the importance of building schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan than it does actually constructing and funding them overseas.

Borochoff: What's surprising is that most of the program spending is not to help kids in Pakistan and Afghanistan, it's actually... what they call domestic outreach where he goes around the country speaking and the cost incurred for that, things like travel is a major component of that. You know, just advertising.

Kroft: What does that mean?

Borochoff: Sounds like a book tour to me.

His point is that when Greg Mortenson travels all over the country at the charity's expense, he is promoting and selling his books and collecting speaking fees that the charity does not appear to be sharing in. According to the financial statement, the charity receives no income from the bestsellers, and little if any income from Mortenson's paid speaking engagements, while listing $1.7 million in "book-related expenses."

Kroft: The $1.7 million that they spent for book-related expenses is more than they spent on all of their schools in Pakistan last year.

Borochoff: Correct.

Kroft: What do you say, I mean...

Borochoff: It's disappointing. You would hope that they would be spending a lot more on the schools in Pakistan than they would on book-related costs. Why doesn't Mr. Mortenson spend his own money (LAUGH) on the book-related costs? He's the one getting the revenues.

In fiscal year 2009, the charity spent $1.5 million on advertising to promote Mortenson's books in national publications, including a full page ad in "The New Yorker." And there are $1.3 million in domestic travel expenses, some for private jets.

Late last night (Saturday, April 16), we received a statement from the board of directors of the Central Asia Institute acknowledging that it receives no royalties or income from Greg Mortenson's book sales or speaking engagements. But the board says the books and the speeches are an integral part of its mission, by raising public awareness and generating contributions. And it claims that Mortenson has personally contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the organization.

Krakauer: In 2002, his board treasurer quit, resigned, along with the board president and two other board members and said, "You should stop giving money to Greg."

Kroft: Did he say why?

Krakauer: He said, in so many words, that Greg uses Central Asia Institute as his private ATM machine. That there's no accounting. He has no receipts.

Yo nay sayers out there.....tell me specifically WHAT THE HEY YO DONE to change the world for good lately. Tearing the throat out of another human doesn't count. Lynne

I haven't done jack but I'd applaud Krakauer and 60 Mintues for exposing what seems to be a scam artist.

What a crazy, wild thread. I don't have enough time to ponder and dig up all the accusations and supporting facts because I have a pretty challenging life to live at the moment.

I for one think it's best to believe the best about others until totally proven otherwise.

Yo nay sayers out there.....tell me specifically WHAT THE HEY YO DONE to change the world for good lately. Tearing the throat out of another human doesn't count. Lynne

The percentage of CAI money that goes toward schools is higher than "60 Minutes" assumed, he told the Chronicle, because during the last five years it has been building a "nest egg" of savings to make CAI sustainable into the future. The fund is exclusively for overseas teacher training, scholarships, new schools and supplies, he said. As of Friday, it had grown to more than $25.6 million, according to a financial statement CAI released.

According to the Bozeman article, Mortenson was recently diagnosed with a hole in his heart(how poignant.....), and is undergoing a medical procedure THIS WEEK. Is it REALLY THAT hard to believe that he may be unable to launch a damage control campaign at the snap of a finger?

March 30th. Not months. And that he declined to give an on-the-spot interview seems ODD to people?

**13. We have been told that the bulk of these travel expenses involve Mr. Mortenson’s
speaking engagements. We are also told the reason the expenses are so high is because Mr.
Mortenson frequently travels privately on chartered jets at CAI’s expense. Is this correct? Can
you tell us the amount of expenses CAI incurred for Mr. Mortenson’s travel on chartered
aircraft?**
As a result of Greg’s aggressive speaking schedule and, in particular, the significant security
risks that arise due to CAI’s programmatic focus, he and CAI staff sometimes travel on
chartered flights. The amounts vary depending on the time period.

I am going to wait for the truth to come out, and it will. It's interesting that so many people, my wife included, applaud 60 Minutes and their tactics when they are exposing some "bad" guy, but then condemn them when they feel that the target is a "good" guy.

The amount of invective and condemnation from many on this site who know absolutely nothing about the underlying issues, non-profits, the vagaries of third world countries, fund raising, etc., is pretty staggering.

This dis-organized, socially awkward, sort of bumbly climber dude

I think many here are forgetting the bottom line. This dis-organized, socially awkward, sort of bumbly climber dude, got an inspiration to help some people who needed it, did it, scrapped with very little money for some years, wrote and published a very inspiring story, and now can raise millions of bucks for his cause. Most importantly he has sparked a needed national and international conversation about how to help in the third world.

So his speaking schedule sometimes is helped by chartering a jet, who cares, through speaking he raises $60 million bucks for the CAI! He could be way more lavish with travel and get paid way more, and he would still be a very efficient fundraiser, and the cause is a great one, not only that, the way his books and his speaking tours make people think about alternatives to the futile militaristic approach to the region is worth a lot IMHO.

If Americans could understand honesty, plastic tits wouldn't exist.

If Americans could understand honesty, plastic tits wouldn't exist.

This whole thing sucks. Even if he has 65% truth to what he has been trying to do and accomplishing results, then I'm happy. And maybe he can clean it up now going forward. He was a big hero to me, and it hurts my heart to think he has done bad.

From his base in Haji Ali’s home, Mortenson settled into a
routine. Each morning and afternoon he would walk briefly
about Korphe, accompanied, as always, by children tugging
at his hands…. Off the Baltoro, out of danger, he realized just
how precious his own survival had been, and how weakened
he’d become. He could barely make it down the switchback
path that led to the river…. Wheezing his way back up to the
village, he felt as infirm as the elderly men who sat for hours
at a time under Korphe’s apricot trees, smoking from hookahs
and eating apricot kernels. After an hour or two of poking
about each day he’d succumb to exhaustion and return to stare
at the sky from his nest of pillows by Haji Ali’s hearth.

http://outsideonline.com/adventure/travel-ga-greg-mortenson-interview-sidwcmdev_155690.html?page=3

Q: But you stand by the Korphe story as it was written?

Mortenson: Well, there are discrepancies that, again, have to do with compression of events.




Q: Still, there are clear discrepancies between that version and what’s in Three Cups of Tea. In the book, you’re described as being in Korphe overnight, but now you think you were really there only a few hours. In the book, it says you went back to Korphe as soon as you could, and it’s during this second trip that you and Hajj Ali talk about you building a school there someday. When did that actually happen?

Mortenson: The second scene in Korphe about building a school happened in September 1994, a year later.

Q: Then there was quite a bit of literary compression going on. You entered the village in September 1993, but you went back a year later, not a few days later, and talked about the school?

Mortenson: That’s correct.

Graniteclimber, look into another book of his (not mountain or Mormon related) and you'll find controversy regarding taking down an American hero. Trust me on this one.

Endnote 1 to the Byliner article.

"According to Three Cups of Tea (pages 10 and 44), Mortenson
was an accomplished mountaineer who, before attempting
K2, had made “half a dozen successful Himalayan ascents,”
including climbs of 24,688-foot Annapurna IV and 23,389-
foot Baruntse, both of which are in Nepal. But there is no
record in the American Alpine Journal (which meticulously
documents all ascents of Annapurna IV, Baruntse, and other
major Himalayan peaks) of Mortenson reaching the summit
of, or even attempting, any Himalayan mountain prior to
1993. Scott Darsney, Greg’s climbing partner on K2, confirms
that Mortenson had never been to the Himalaya or Karakoram
before going to K2."

Scott Darsney, Greg’s climbing partner on K2, confirms
that Mortenson had never been to the Himalaya or Karakoram
before going to K2.

Using CAI funds, Mortenson has purchased many tens
of thousands of copies of Three Cups of Tea and Stones into
Schools, which he has subsequently handed out to attendees
at his speaking engagements. A significant number of these
books were charged to CAI’s Pennies for Peace program,
contrary to Mortenson’s frequent assertions that CAI uses
“every penny” of every donation made to Pennies for Peace
to support schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Rather than
buy Mortenson's books at wholesale cost from his publisher,
moreover, CAI has paid retail price from commercial outlets
such as Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon. Buying from
retailers allows Mortenson to receive his author’s royalty
for each book given away, and also allows these handouts
to augment his ranking on national bestseller lists. (Had he
ordered the books from his publisher, Mortenson would not
have received a royalty, nor would bestseller lists reflect those
purchases.) According to one of Mortenson’s friends, when he
learned that Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love had bumped
Three Cups of Tea from number one down to number two on
the New York Times paperback nonfiction list, “Greg was furious.
He started buying books like crazy, with the CAI credit
card, to try and put Three Cups back on top.”

Like many people who believes in ‘Education is a right and not privilege’, I have also read both of Greg Mortenson’s books and watched Greg Mortenson - 60 Minutes which was aired on CBS News on April 17, 2011. Mortenson claims that he has educated over 60,000 of young children and mostly girls and built over 170 schools in Karakoram -the north west of Pakistan and the Wakhan valley of Afghanistan near the Russia and China border during the last 17 years.

Mortenson was intelligent enough to select Karakoram, the 2nd highest rocky mountain in the world, located on the Pakistan-Chinese border, beyond which it becomes an ocean of snow, where he envisioned writing his first book ‘Three Cups of Tea’. Being a native of the north west of Pakistan, I visited Karakoram Mountains along with a French Professor. I was amazed at the pride of the tall mountains and the scenic beauty of nature. At the same time, I found that it is harder for foreigners to come here because the government is charging them heavy amount and do not have any plan to encourage mountaineers and tourists to contribute to local economy. Our successive governments are busy investing their energies and money in wars instead of investing in education. Mortenson had selected Wakhan - a majestic alpine valley in the border region of Afghanistan and Tajikistan to educate children, build schools and to write his second book ‘Stones Into Schools’. This valley is located in the Pamir Mountains in Central Asia. Mortenson has selected areas where it was not harder for local and foreign media and researchers to attest such splendid education projects that Mortenson had started.

While reading Mortenson’s both well-written books, I had the view that they are based on fiction, mixed with half truth. He describes the harder geography of the area very beautifully and in a dramatic way. He presents his characters such as Haji Ali, Rasheed, Sarfaraz, Sadbar, and Parveen like Hollywood movies characters to impress his readers . His timely stories contributed to connect his education case of Afghan and Pakistani children with US people easily, because the US led western nations are investing blood of its sons and daughters in Afghanistan and Pakistan augmented by tax-payers’ dollars to bring peace in the region and security to its own people. He is also successful to connect his stories with the defeat of Communist Russia in Afghanistan on the hands of ‘Mujahideeen’, ‘Taliban’, and ‘Warlords’ led by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, United state and supported by the entire Capitalist world including Communist China. He has beautifully engaged his readers to the anarchic situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan as he refers to the successive presidents and Al-Qaeda leaders to make his storey central to the current global unrest in the mountains of Central Asia.

What did not astonish me at all was that Greg Mortenson received Pakistan’s highest civil award, Sitara-e-Pakistan because leadership in the third world countries are always in search of foreigners to honour them with such awards to do ‘Realpolitik’. It also did not surprise me that he presented his wife and two children - Khyber and Amira; heroes of his work because the North American culture and society functions in an individualist context.
It was the most disturbing factor for me that Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. Armed Forces was chief guest at one of Mortenson’s school inauguration in Afghanistan. It is also strange that how Mortenson was inducted by the U.S. military to lecture and mentor young officers at the Air Force, Naval and West Point academies to share his philosophy of Afghan and Islamic culture with them while educating top -ranking Pentagon brass like General David Petraeus and Admiral EricLarson.
Being inhabitant of the North West of Pakistan and Afghanistan for over 35 years, it made me sad while reading Mortenson’s story that he was kidnapped by Taliban supporters in Waziristan, where he was held as a prisoner for eight days before his captors released him in a sudden and dramatic mystery with details known only to Mortenson till the 60 Minutes show was aired. The show found that four of the supposed abductors where ordinary Wazir Pashtun from FATA who were promised by Mortenson to build schools in the war-raged Waziristan FATA. One of the alleged was Mansoor Khan Masud, who runs FATA Research Centre, Islamabad and also writes for American Foreign Policy Magazine, who says that Mortenson was their guest. Mortenson has done a historic injustice to fabricate that Pashtuns are warriors and against education which is contrary to their customs such as Melmastia (hospitality.

Despite Mortenson’s successes of fame and fortune, he not only failed himself but other philanthropists as well, that one day an intuitive Steve Kroft of CBS will be able to find the whole truth and set the record straight and do some justice to the Pashtuns and Americans. I commend Mortenson for connecting westerners with Pakistani and Afghan children’s education. I wish he could have done it differently.

Jahan Zeb is Canadian Pashtun and perusing his MA degree in Community Studies. jahanzebca@gmail.com

Frankly this thread makes me sick! A bunch of pompous blowhard jackwads sitting in the plush comfort of their easy chairs decrying someone who IS making a difference. What have any of you POS complainers done with your lives? Go back to watching American Idol or Dancing with the Stars or what ever useless masturbation that constitutes the "value" of your existence. In other words go blow yourselves!

yep a sixty minute piece on the fuped up bankers and corrupt politics in this country would not fly.
lets go after the little guy, whos done more
good than all the bombs of merica,and whos done more good than all of us put together.

According to the Bozeman article, Mortenson was recently diagnosed with a hole in his heart(how poignant.....), and is undergoing a medical procedure THIS WEEK. Is it REALLY THAT hard to believe that he may be unable to launch a damage control campaign at the snap of a finger?

"As has been pointed out, 60 Minutes tried for months to speak with GM"

According to the Bozeman article, GM is quoted as "...."60 Minutes" had spent several months investigating him, but didn't try to contact him until March 30, and only gave him a chance to respond "at the 11th hour." He said Kroft ambushed him with a camera crew at an event in Atlanta where he was speaking to ninth-graders. Mortenson said he declined to give an on-air interview."

March 30th. Not months. And that he declined to give an on-the-spot interview seems ODD to people?

Anyone who is on the "Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh MY!" bandwagon - DO please take a moment to read the Bozeman article, The link is here:
http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/article_4d3125cc-67d7-11e0-b861-001cc4c002e0.html

Ratings
Based on ratings, 60 Minutes is the most successful broadcast in U.S. television history

Recognition

Emmy Awards

As of May 2007, 60 Minutes had won a total of 78 Emmy Awards, a record unsurpassed by any primetime show on any network.

Peabody Awards

The show won Peabody Awards for the segments "All in the Family", an investigation into abuses by government and military contractors; "The CIA's Cocaine", which uncovered CIA involvement in drug smuggling; "Friendly Fire", a report on incidents of friendly fire in the Gulf War; and "Duke Rape Suspects Speak Out", the first interviews with the suspects in the 2006 Duke University lacrosse case, and "The Killings in Haditha," an investigation into the killing of Iraqi civilians by U.S. Marines.

Does 60 minutes pay those who go on the show; I expect they do.

I think that Jan and Werner hit the nail on the head. Unless you've worked in 3rd world countries, you have no idea how ridiculous it is to hold projects to "western" standards and business practices. I worked extensively in South America and Africa, "showing your appreciation" to the locals was the only way you even had chance of having your project have a chance of coming to fruition.

For damn sure, don't lose your temper, yell at someone and make them lose "face", pushing your entitled Western Weight around. That's when stuff just comes up missing and the only answers to your inquiries about it are shrugged shoulders.

For another - IF there are these improprieties that are being claimed

If Mortensen has been defamed by 60 Minutes, he can sue them. We await the action of his attorneys.

three cups of deceit

Remarkable thread...


Religious responses from folks who are not religious.

Peace and Hope Begin With Education: One Child At A Time
Central Asia Institute’s Domestic Education Program was established to promote awareness of the importance of primary education, literacy, and cross-cultural understanding about the remote regions of northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. We do this through public events, global outreach and in the USA, our books Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools, and our Pennies for Peace Program.

It may surprise many people who have donated money to CAI, as it surprised me, to learn that CAI receives none of the proceeds from any of Mortenson’s books. All of the royalties from Three Cups of Tea are split equally by Mortenson and David Relin. All of the royalties from his other books are paid to Mortenson alone.

(D) DESCRIPTION OF TRANSACTION: THE ORGANIZATION HAS AN ECONOMIC INTEREST IN A BOOK WRITTEN BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GREG MORTENSON, WHICH IS WRITTEN IN REGARDS TO HIS JOURNEYS IN AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN WHILE PURSUING THE ORGANIZATION’S MISSION. DURING THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2009, THE ORGANIZATION PAID $1,729,542 FOR BOOK-RELATED EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH OUTREACH AND EDUCATION.

DOMESTIC OUTREACH AND EDUCATION, LECTURES AND GUEST APPEARANCES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES TELLING CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTES STORY AND THE PLIGHT OF CHILDREN IN PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN.

Dingus doesn't really care about Greg M. he is too busy trying to sort through his confusion of impassioned speech and religious fervor.

Next he will be posting pics of dead coyotes on fences and proselytizing us about how it demonstrates clearly what is really wrong with California...

This type of thing underminds my trust in ANY institution abroad which REALLY sucks because the third world is in SUCH need of assistance.

I first tired Firefox, and couldn't see it.
I then tried Chrome, and could see it, but some of the text was garbled.
Then I tried Explorer, and it worked perfectly.

How much has JK given to the Pat Till. Foundation? How much profit did HE make off that book? Did he gather his story justly? Apparently not.