THE DESPERATE ACT: Assassination of Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo

For every error the assassins made, the authorities made two."" In spite of their youth (under twenty--not old enough to be hanged!) and haphazard organization, the six armed to assassinate the Austrian heir achieved their goal, even if actual assailant Gavrilo Princip crossed to the wrong corner without knowing the official parade route had been changed to pass just there. Fervent supporters of a Bosnia free of Austrian domination, they aimed for the heir, unintentionally killed his Sophie too, also bungled suicides afterwards. The revolutionary energies of the South Slavs enabled Austria to fabricate and distort the situation, issue ultimatums, and--finally--to declare war. Timed for the June 28 anniversary (a centuries-old Bosnian independence holiday--which made the 1914 visit an insult), The Desperate Act includes remarks (some acknowledged as questionable) from survivor Popovic. It's a nation's cause that had worldwide aftereffects; the sometimes romantic portrayals may attract random readers.