6 October 1970

In June, a raid on a cottage in the Laurentians had turned up a draft ransom note for the proposed kidnapping of the US Consul General, Harrison Burgess. Comparisons between this draft ransom note and the note issued for Cross' ransom possessed remarkable similarities, and they were analyzed for clues that could lead to a breakthrough. Key differences included the addition of Algeria as a place to send prisoners, the demand for thirty minutes of TV publicity rather than one hour, and exclusion of Lapalme workers from the concluding paragraph. The Task Force judged these changes to be possible insights into the kidnapper’s motivations and bargaining position, and viewed the TV airtime and Lapalme issues as the most readily negotiable.