No. That 1996 article is wrong on that point, and fluffy on others. It's straightforward to calculate finger travels for typing words on various keyboard layouts [1], and Dvorak easily comes out on top. Placing e on the home row alone is probably a significant improvement. Compare the home rows:

asdf jkl; aoeu htns

Placement of high-frequency letters, especially vowels, reduces finger movement and eases typing. There's no magic about it.

[1] www.typocheck.co.uk/dvorak/