The
Telegraph:
Liverpool is famed for many things – including The Beatles and its football team. But few would associate the city with one of the most famous political speeches in history.
Yet tourism officials in the city have published the extraordinary claim that Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech was written at a city centre hotel.
The allegation has been made in a guide to a major art event entitled "Liverpool Discovers", commissioned by amongst others, the city council.
A map in the guide shows how more than 20 locations where famous people were born along with places associated with celebrities and events in their lives.
The guide proclaims: "Martin Luther King visited his supporters in Liverpool three times, and the first draft of his famous 'I have a dream' speech is alleged to be written on Adelphi Hotel headed notepaper."
Even less well-known,
Four Bears made his "the whites gave us smallpox bankies" speech in Liverpool, according to the gaffers down at the pub. Back to MLK:
[The speech's] links, if any, to Liverpool, have for nearly half a century been kept under wraps, and experts were quick yesterday to suggest that is where they should remain.
Dr King's biographer, Godfrey Hodgson said that the suggestion does not fit the facts. . . .
Prof John Belcham, a Liverpool University history lecturer who wrote an 800-year history of Liverpool in 2008, confirmed that he was unaware of any connection between Dr King and the city.
That, however, has not stopped tourism officials in publishing the rumour, and yesterday they were unrepentant. They said that the claim came from a public consultation and there was nothing to suggest it was untrue.
A spokesman for Liverpool Discovers said: "All of the facts we have came from a public consultation where we asked people to submit what they knew about Liverpool. . . .
"As you will appreciate it is sometimes difficult to prove historical facts, and we have run the map by local historians to best verify what appeared.
And they said, "What are you on about, son?" The spokesman steals arguments from the global warmists, too:
"Although biographers such as those associated with Martin Luther King may not be aware of such a fact, with all due respect to them, that in itself does not prove it to be untrue.
The Beatles got their start in Denver.
"Many cities reference stories about their history that cannot be absolutely proven –and in this case the word 'alleged' informs the reader that the fact is not set in stone."
It has though left tourist guides in the city somewhat out on a limb. One said: “We are getting people asking us to tell them more about this remarkable event and why there is no plaque at the hotel to commemorate it.
"We have to say it is some kind of urban legend that has been printed in error. It's very embarrassing."
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