Three Cups of Tea
DROP ITby Greg Mortenson
Last verified September 13, 2026
💬 — ask a question or share feedback →60 Minutes and journalist Jon Krakauer both independently found Mortenson's central Korphe rescue story was fabricated -- he didn't actually visit the village until nearly a year after the claimed events -- and a photo supporting a separate Taliban-kidnapping claim was staged.
Greg Mortenson's bestselling memoir tells how he became lost during a 1993 K2 climbing attempt, was nursed back to health by villagers in the remote Pakistani village of Korphe, and was inspired to found a charity building schools across Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In April 2011, '60 Minutes' and author Jon Krakauer published parallel investigations finding significant fabrications in the book's central story. A companion from Mortenson's actual 1993 K2 attempt disputed that villagers in Korphe nursed him back to health, and two porters who accompanied him told '60 Minutes' Mortenson did not stumble into Korphe lost and alone -- he didn't visit Korphe at all until nearly a year later, on a separate trip. A photo used to support a claimed Taliban kidnapping in Mortenson's second book was also found to be staged, showing people who were not Taliban. The investigations further alleged Mortenson used his charity's funds to enrich himself and promote his books without sharing proceeds, prompting an investigation by the Montana attorney general's office.
This isn't a case of minor memoir embellishment -- two independent, direct-source investigations (60 Minutes and Krakauer, working separately) both found the book's founding origin story was substantially fabricated, down to a staged photo used as evidence in a second book. Layered on top of that, the charity built on the story's strength was investigated by a state attorney general over alleged self-enrichment. The inspirational premise the entire project was built on doesn't hold up.
- Three Cups of Deceit background — A companion from the actual 1993 attempt and two porters who accompanied Mortenson told 60 Minutes he did not visit Korphe until nearly a year after the claimed rescue.
Three Cups of Tea author 'told lies in book' — Al Jazeera English
Was Greg Mortenson's rescue story in Three Cups of Tea real?
No. 60 Minutes and Jon Krakauer's investigations found Mortenson did not visit the village of Korphe until nearly a year after the events described, contradicted by a companion from the actual 1993 expedition and two porters who accompanied him.
What happened to Mortenson's charity after the fabrications were exposed?
The Montana attorney general's office investigated allegations that Mortenson used the charity's funds to enrich himself and promote his books without sharing the proceeds.