Read Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way for Free Online

moved. Over the previous three years I ’ d donated more than $55,000 to CAI, and I ’ d committed to donating another $20,000 in 2002. I told Hornbein I would be honored to introduce Greg at the fundraiser.
    The event did not begin well. Mortenson arrived an hour late. When Hornbein admonished him for keeping the packed house waiting, Greg sulked and threatened to fly home without speaking. Only after much inveigling did Greg eventually consent to go on stage. When things finally got under way, I concluded my introduction by telling the audience, “ What Greg has accomplished, with very little money, verges on the miraculous. ” As he shambled up to the podium and gave me a hug, the auditorium filled with thunderous applause. Greg ’ s presentation knocked the crowd ’ s socks off, and the fundraiser turned out to be a notable success.
    Relations between Mortenson and the CAI board, however, continued to deteriorate. “ I would talk to people who expressed interest in making a sizable contribution, ” says Jennifer Wilson, “ but when they tried to contact Greg he wouldn ’ t get back to them. Other people who actually made big contributions never got follow-ups from Greg. We kept trying to persuade Greg to hire an administrator who would do all the stuff he wasn ’ t good at, but he refused … . At the time, I didn ’ t understand. Now that I know about the things he was hiding, I realize he didn ’ t want anyone looking over his shoulder. That would have been tremendously threatening to him. ”
    By early 2002, Mortenson pretty much stopped communicating with the board altogether. Exasperated, Wilson quit. At the conclusion of a contentious board meeting on September 7, 2002, Hornbein and two other hard-working directors, Gordon Wiltsie and Sally Uhlmann, left the board as well. In a letter to the other directors explaining his resignation, Hornbein wrote,
 
I am devastated by what has happened … . While my belief in CAI ’ s mission is undiminished, I can no longer believe that Greg, in spite of his unswerving commitment, has the attributes demanded to lead CAI into its next phase … . Communication is essential to trust. Accountability with transparency underpins trust … . Many of the Board ’ s efforts to achieve this accountability have been thwarted by Greg, simply by his not responding. It was Greg ’ s vision and courage that created CAI and caused us to commit our energies. He is a unique individual with many precious attributes. Now, sadly, it is other aspects of Greg, ones I don ’ t understand, that leave me doubting the future viability of his dream.
     
    For his part, Mortenson was elated by the departure of Wilson, Hornbein, Wiltsie, and Uhlmann, and simply swept the issues they ’ d raised under the rug. His stonewalling had achieved its desired end, leaving him essentially unaccountable to anyone. In an email to CAI board members and staffers, Mortenson disingenuously gushed,
 
I want to express my personal gratitude and thanks to Tom Hornbein, Sally and Gordon for their tremendous effort as Board Directors. Your assistance was a catalyst at a crucial time in CAI ’ s evolution. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I would also like to extend a belated thanks to Jennifer Wilson for your many years of support that provided continuity and stability from the inception of our efforts … . Despite unrest and uncertainty, this past year has been CAI ’ s most successful year ever in Pakistan … . Onward ho.
     
    Despite this public effusion of gratitude, in private Mortenson told anyone who would listen that Hornbein ’ s criticisms of him were motivated by self-regard and envy. Hornbein, Greg explained, simply wanted to take control of CAI in order to create a legacy for himself. Other board members who witnessed Hornbein and Mortenson interacting during this period have dismissed Mortenson ’ s interpretation as preposterous.
    Dealing with Mortenson ’ s idiosyncrasies was