James Richard Cross CMG (29 September 1921 – 6 January 2021) was an Irish-born British diplomat who served in India, Malaysia and Canada.
[5] Cross studied economics and political science at Trinity College Dublin,[3] where he graduated with a first class honours degree in 1944.
[2] During World War II, Cross served with the British Army and fought for the liberation of France.
He was consequently assigned to Kuala Lumpur for four years (in then Malaya and after 1963 Malaysia), before going back to London in 1966 to direct the Board of Trade branch in charge of exhibitions and fairs overseas.
[2] On 5 October 1970, Cross was abducted at gunpoint from his British diplomatic residence at 1297 Redpath Crescent, in the Golden Square Mile district of Montreal, and held as a hostage for two months as the FLQ made a series of demands to the Quebec government.
The talks were held at the Canada Pavilion, located on Notre Dame Island, the site of Expo 67.
[6] Six members of the FLQ's "Liberation Cell" were later convicted of Cross's kidnapping when they returned to Canada during the late 1970s.
[8] Cross said of his kidnapping: They [the kidnappers] told me about 10:00 o'clock on Wednesday evening that they had, the police knew where I was.
[6]On the 40th anniversary of the day that sparked the October Crisis in 2010, Cross agreed to speak to CBC Radio's The Current about the events surrounding his kidnapping.