Greg Mortenson, author of the best-selling book Three Cups of Tea about how his travels in Pakistan and Afghanistan inspired him to found a non-profit to build schools in the region, may have embellished or entirely made up parts of his story, according to a 60 Minutes report.
The report, which aired Sunday night, alleges that Mortenson, “greatly exaggerated or made up out of whole cloth,” several stories in his book, including the tale of how he came to found his charity in the first place. And it also raised questions about the finances of Mortenson’s charity, Central Asia Institute, alleging that the organization spent more money domestically than it did abroad.
In one example, 60 Minutes investigated Mortenson’s claim that he was kidnapped by the Taliban in 1996, a claim supported by a picture supposedly depicting Mortenson with his captors. CBS reported that they found and spoke with several men present when the picture was taken — including two men actually in the photo — and that none of them were in fact members of the Taliban. One of the men, according to CBS, is the director of an influential think tank whose scholarly essays have been published in the U.S.
Mortenson defended himself and his organization in a statement posted to CAI’s website:
I stand by the information conveyed in my book, and by the value of CAl’s work in empowering local communities to build and operate schools that have educated more than 60,000 students. I continue to be heartened by the many messages of support I receive from our local partners in cities and villages across Afghanistan and Pakistan, who are determined not to let unjustified attacks stop the important work being done to create a better future for their children.
Watch the CBS report below, and read Central Asia Institute’s full responses to the allegations here:
