In Perspective: Fred Cuny: Formulator of Fast-Track Relief

By Katherine Allison

Fred Cuny was the guy that came up with ideas. In 23 war zones over three decades, he found the solutions that nobody could--or would--find and use. From Albania to Mexico to Zimbabwe, for governments and organizations ranging from the Agency for International Development to the Pan American Health Organization to the World Bank, he applied his experience and expertise to make a better world for the survivors of both man-made and natural disasters.

A big Texan with a big heart, Cuny was trained as an engineer and city planner and spent much of his life working to relieve human distress around the world. At the time of his mission to Chechnya, he had the ear of many U.S. officials from the White House, the Pentagon, the CIA, and AID, although those agencies were rarely known to follow his advice.

Cuny disappeared in Chechnya in April 1995 along with two Russian Red Cross physicians and an interpreter. He was attempting to contact Chechen leaders to lay out his plan for a cease-fire. An article published in The Washington Post in June 1995 about the efforts to find any trace of Cuny in Chechnya after he'd been missing for weeks stated, "Below the surface lurks the fear that the investigation [into Cuny's disappearance in Chechnya] will simply drift because the truth could create a severe diplomatic headache."

Fred Cuny never let a diplomatic headache stop him from doing anything he thought important, beginning with his first relief efforts in Biafra during its attempted secession from Nigeria in the 1960s. After offering his help to the Nigerian minister of the interior, he was promptly thrown out of the country. The Biafrans had no such compunctions about accepting his offer of assistance.

Cuny's philosophy of supplying the means for refugees to support themselves instead of just dumping supplies has been difficult to rationalize to many aid organizations but has proven itself to be the best way to help people over the long run.

After the 1976 earthquake in Guatemala, blankets were airlifted with tons of food. Everyone said sending blankets was necessary, but Cuny understood that it put the local blanket makers out of business. He believed that the best way to help people was to teach them to help themselves. After the Gulf War, Cuny went to Kuwait to help restore water supplies and to aid some 400,000 Kurdish refugees. Cuny convinced Morton Abramowitz, then the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, that the Kurds could be returned to their own villages in two months. After Abramowitz told him he was "full of crap," Cuny, with the help of the U.S. military under Gen. John Shalikashvili, went on to organize one of the most successful refugee assistance programs ever.

Hired by organizations such as the United Nations and private foundations to design and carry out relief plans, Cuny still maintained the autonomy to devise solutions his way and became increasingly active as a policy adviser. His article in the New York Review of Books condemning Russian activity in Chechnya caused his friends to worry that he might be targeted when he returned to that region.

Cuny's family and friends spent months tracing his steps and wading through the red tape and mystery that surrounded his April 1995 disappearance. They ultimately learned that Cuny and his party had been detained for questioning by Chechen rebels, then summarily executed.

His legacy, that of selfless dedication to finding the answers, solving the problems, coming up with good ideas, helping others regardless of color, race, or creed, has helped to influence the way governments and organizations offer relief from disasters throughout the world. His family intends to honor that legacy by continuing the work he began.