Canada: Lives in the Balance

At 8:15 one morning last week, two men rang the doorbell at the fashionable Montreal home of James R. ("Jasper") Cross, who directs the British trade office in Quebec. "A present for Mr. Cross," said one of the men, displaying a gaily wrapped package. Since her employer had celebrated his 49th birthday only six days earlier, the Portuguese maid unchained the door. With that, one of the men whipped out a revolver and the other pulled an M-1 rifle out of the package.

The men rushed upstairs and surprised Cross, who was dressing; his wife Barbara was still in bed. After...