30 October 1970

Publishing the FLQ's communiqués was a recurring source of tension throughout the crisis. The provincial government of Quebec did not want the communiqés to be made public, but so long as they remained unpublished, the media speculated that they must contain politically damaging material. Although Ritchie felt that the government should oppose publication, he also suggested an official statement explaining the reasons behind this decision. He hoped that such a statement would blunt media accusations about the government's lack of transparency.