Ambassadors in Bonds: The Foreign Office and the Kidnapping of Diplomats and Consuls, c1960 to 1980

This article considers the institutional response of the British Foreign Office and its staff overseas to the kidnapping and attempted kidnapping of British and foreign diplomats and consuls, c1960 to 1980. While kidnappers often had similar motives, the circumstances of each incident differed considerably. Procedures were adopted at the Foreign Office, but British diplomats resisted similar measures locally. Instead, they looked to the host government to apply the Geneva Conventions of 1961 and 1963 on Diplomatic and Consular Relations, which required them to protect foreign diplomats and consuls. They also consulted the Foreign Office’s Security Department and observed the practices of other foreign diplomatic posts. The article considers the effectiveness of precautionary measures, liaison with host governments, the role of third countries, complications arising from multiple kidnappings, the sharing of knowledge with other countries, dealings with the media, the abduction of honorary consuls, and the issue of compensation for victims. It further examines the nature and extent of cooperation between British and other foreign diplomats and more formal multilateral discussions. The issue of institutional knowledge is considered, as is, briefly, the role of the British intelligence services and the interconnection of kidnappings overseas with internal matters within the United Kingdom.