John Donohue Jim Grant was/is the only senior official I ever heard discuss the Great Leap Famine as it now seems to be called. Jim was leading a large staff meeting. It must have been large if a P4 supply guy was attending. An aside/a learning moment for me, Jim Grant always invited low ranking unimportant people to meetings. He always used these sessions to teach his staff. This around 1988/89 before the children’s summit, and I think in the Labouisse room so after the 866 building. I recall no one in the room knew a thing about the famine he discussed, it was well hidden. I was thrilled to be present, and I listened carefully to his narrative of “the worlds’ greatest famine.” That’s how I remember his introduction. Jim’s key point wasn’t the size of the famine, but the cause. It was induced by cowardly bureaucrats. Every administrative level was afraid of reporting the truth to Mao in grain harvests, because they would look bad. Mao decided to change the tax code and ba
Written by and for the former staff of UNICEF
