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The Trigger: Hunting the Assassin Who Brought the World to War,
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Ian Howgate
Hi Tim, I have a signed first edition of Dedijer and have been researching the 28th June 1914 for 5 years. I like Dedijer but cannot agree with your appraisal of him. He is a man tainted by Tito's Croat autocratic regime that he lived in and his family tragedies. Having translated most of his sources I do not feel that he has been as diligent as you suggest, in particular in his reliance upon Albertini and Magrini but in numerous other places as well, Trisic and Stanjeovic, for example. He contrives a theory which I feel is designed in a backhanded way to fit Tito's desire to put the blame at the feet of Royal Serbia. It is however considerably better than Albertini who was Mussolini's (and probably therefore Hitler's) stooge as much as Dedijer was Tito's. This said I broadly support your perspective on these assassinations though my research takes matter further and deeper - you might be surprised by what else has lain hidden!
Tim Butcher
My favourite is the Road to Sarajevo by Vladimir Dedijer. It is a work of accessible history focusing on the assassination, so Princip plays a central role. What is clear about Dedijer is that he was rigorous in checking stories/details/anecdotes concerning Princip and he only included those he could verify. Some other colourful accounts of Princip have been written but while they are engaging they are not reliable. Joachim Remak's book Sarajevo:The Story of a Political Murder belongs in this second category.
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