James Cross
Encyclopedia
James Richard Cross, CMG
(born September 29, 1921, in Ireland
) was a British
diplomat in Canada
who was kidnapped by the Front de libération du Québec
(FLQ) terrorist
group during the October Crisis
of October 1970.
Known by his friends as "Jasper", during World War II
, Cross served with the British Army
and fought for the liberation of France
. In 1946 he was commissioned into the Royal Engineers
Movement Control Section. After the war he joined the diplomatic service and eventually served as a Trade Commissioner
in India
; Halifax
, Nova Scotia
; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Kuala Lumpur
, before becoming senior Trade Commissioner in Montreal, Quebec.
Cross went on to serve as Under-Secretary in various divisions of the British Department of Trade and Industry and Department of Energy. In 1971, he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
(CMG). His statements regarding the FLQ Crisis are included in this taped interview.
for two months as the FLQ
made a series of demands to the Quebec government. He was released on December 3 in exchange for safe passage for his abductors to Cuba
. The talks were held at the Canada Pavilion, located on Île Notre-Dame
, the site of Expo '67. This site was declared Cuban territory for the period of the talks.
Six members of the FLQ's liberation cell
were later convicted of Cross's kidnapping when they returned to Canada over time.
Cross said of his kidnapping:
"They told me about 10:00 o'clock on Wednesday evening that they had, the police knew where I was. Nothing much happened for about the next four hours. Then the power was cut at I think around 2:00 in the morning. I was in bed at the time; they got me up. They handcuffed me, they took me into a corridor in the middle of the house. They handcuffed me to a doorknob and I spent the night. It's a very uncomfortable position." On the 40th anniversary of the day that sparked the October Crisis, James Cross agreed to speak to CBC's The Current about the events surrounding his kidnapping.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(born September 29, 1921, in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
diplomat in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
who was kidnapped by the Front de libération du Québec
Front de libération du Québec
The Front de libération du Québec was a left-wing Quebecois nationalist and Marxist-Leninist paramilitary group in Quebec, Canada. It was active between 1963 and 1970, and was regarded as a terrorist organization for its violent methods of action...
(FLQ) terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
group during the October Crisis
October Crisis
The October Crisis was a series of events triggered by two kidnappings of government officials by members of the Front de libération du Québec during October 1970 in the province of Quebec, mainly in the Montreal metropolitan area.The circumstances ultimately culminated in the only peacetime use...
of October 1970.
Known by his friends as "Jasper", during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Cross served with the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and fought for the liberation of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In 1946 he was commissioned into the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
Movement Control Section. After the war he joined the diplomatic service and eventually served as a Trade Commissioner
Trade Commissioner
Trade Commissioner is the title of a government official whose primary duties are to promote international trade agreements and export trade programs on behalf of a national or regional government authority. Such envoys are normally posted abroad, often being permanently resident in the country or...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
; Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, before becoming senior Trade Commissioner in Montreal, Quebec.
Cross went on to serve as Under-Secretary in various divisions of the British Department of Trade and Industry and Department of Energy. In 1971, he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(CMG). His statements regarding the FLQ Crisis are included in this taped interview.
Kidnapping
On October 5, 1970, Cross was abducted at gunpoint from his British diplomatic residence on Redpath Crescent, on Mount Royal in Montreal and held as a hostageHostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
for two months as the FLQ
Front de libération du Québec
The Front de libération du Québec was a left-wing Quebecois nationalist and Marxist-Leninist paramilitary group in Quebec, Canada. It was active between 1963 and 1970, and was regarded as a terrorist organization for its violent methods of action...
made a series of demands to the Quebec government. He was released on December 3 in exchange for safe passage for his abductors to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. The talks were held at the Canada Pavilion, located on Île Notre-Dame
Île Notre-Dame
Île Notre-Dame is an artificial island built in 10 months from 15 million tons of rock excavated for the Montreal Metro in 1965. It was created for Expo 67 to celebrate Canada's centennial. The island is part of the city of Montreal and forms part of the Hochelaga Archipelago...
, the site of Expo '67. This site was declared Cuban territory for the period of the talks.
Liberation Cell
The Liberation Cell was a Montreal-based cell that was part of Front de libération du Québec terrorist group in Quebec whose members were responsible for a decade of bombings and armed robberies in the 1960s that led to what became known as the October Crisis.As part of a violent attempt to...
were later convicted of Cross's kidnapping when they returned to Canada over time.
Cross said of his kidnapping:
"They told me about 10:00 o'clock on Wednesday evening that they had, the police knew where I was. Nothing much happened for about the next four hours. Then the power was cut at I think around 2:00 in the morning. I was in bed at the time; they got me up. They handcuffed me, they took me into a corridor in the middle of the house. They handcuffed me to a doorknob and I spent the night. It's a very uncomfortable position." On the 40th anniversary of the day that sparked the October Crisis, James Cross agreed to speak to CBC's The Current about the events surrounding his kidnapping.