Fiddler Mark O'Connor Claims Suzuki Method Founder a Fraud

Recently the British magazine Classic FM published an article in which American violinist Mark O'Connor claims that the founder of the Suzuki string teaching method was a fraud for lying about his credentials and being friends with Albert Einstein. O'Connor says he found evidence that Suzuki never attended the prestigious Berlin music conservatory he claims he did, or studied with the prominent Berlin violinist Karl Klinger, and that Suzuki met Albert Einstein in Berlin only to deliver a violin. The Suzuki method is a way of learning a musical instrument for people of all ages but is particularly popular as a way of teaching children.  Sinichi Suzuki was a Japanese violinist who said he founded his teaching method "to bring beauty to the lives of children in his country after the devastation of World War II."  He had a strong belief that talent could be developed in children from an early age in a natural way.  It's claimed that there are currently about a quarter of a million Suzuki students and about 8,000 teachers of the method worldwide. For his contributions to music pedagogy, Suzuki received honorary doctorates from the New England Conservatory of Music, the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, and the Cleveland Institute of Music.  He was declared a Living National Treasure of Japan, and was nominated for the Nobel Peace prize. From what I could find, some of the better known violinists who are considered former Suzuki method students or who studied with teachers influenced by the Suzuki method include  Sarah Chang, Jennifer Koh, William Preucil, Nicola Benedetti, Hilary Hahn, Leila Josefewicz, and Joshua Bell.  If those are all correct, that's not bad company. I do not know much about the Suzuki method, only that it is considered an inviting way to introduce young people to playing a musical instrument.  There may be more rigorous approaches, but this one seems well suited for enough people to have made it a popular way to start, even if they later go on to other teachers. What I find a little troubling about Mark O'Connor's "expose," as fine a violinist as he undoubtedly is, is that he has his own violin teaching method to promote: the "O'Connor Violin Method," that is presented as "an American-themed alternative to the Suzuki approach." I don't know if he intended his revelations to cause as much of a stir as they did, but you can decide for yourself.  He details his allegations on his own blog site.