Topline
“Havana syndrome”—an inexplicable illness reported by hundreds of U.S. officials around the world—is not linked to actions by a foreign government, a group of U.S. intelligence agencies found Wednesday, according to multiple news outlets, undermining the theory that a “directed energy” weapon caused diplomats and CIA officials to get sick.
Tourists ride classic convertible cars on the Malecon beside the United States Embassy in Havana, … [+]
Key Facts
During a multi-year investigation, seven U.S. intelligence agencies reviewed more than 1,000 of the health incidents—which are often characterized by strange sounds, headaches and nausea—and found no common set of conditions to link them, officials told the Washington Post and CNN.
Five intelligence agencies found it was “very unlikely” that a sustained global campaign by an adversary like Russia was responsible for the symptoms, one unnamed agency said it was “unlikely” a foreign adversary was to blame and another unnamed agency abstained from making a conclusion, according to the Post.
A weapon that emits directed energy and electronic surveillance that could have unintentionally made people sick were some of the previously believed ways a foreign adversary could have caused the illnesses, but an intelligence official told the Post those methods were both ruled out in the investigation.
Key Background
In 2016, a number of U.S officials, including diplomats, stationed in Cuba reported strange sounds and sensations followed by hearing and vision loss, dizziness, headaches, nausea and vertigo. Medical scans later showed that some individuals experienced lasting brain tissue damage. U.S. personnel in Cuba weren’t alone: U.S. officials in Austria, China, Georgia, Germany, India, Russia, Taiwan and Vietnam later reported similar experiences. Many of the individuals who got sick argued their illnesses may have been caused by an attack by Russia or some other adversarial government, and while direct evidence of that theory hasn’t emerged, an intelligence panel found last year that some of the symptoms “plausibly” could’ve been caused by directed energy. Wednesday’s report comes more than a year after the CIA said that a majority of the 1,000 cases of “Havana Syndrome” were not caused by a foreign adversary and instead caused by environmental causes, undiagnosed medical conditions or stress—though foreign involvement wasn’t ruled out for two dozen cases.
Tangent
In October 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill to offer additional support for government officials who suffered brain injuries overseas as a result of the Havana syndrome. The move came after some affected officials said they felt they were receiving adequate treatment from the State Department.
Further Reading
‘Havana Syndrome’ Not Caused By Energy Weapon Or Foreign Adversary, Intelligence Review Finds (Washington Post)
Majority Of Mysterious ‘Havana Syndrome’ Cases Not Linked To Hostile Foreign Power, CIA Finds (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/03/01/havana-syndrome-likely-wasnt-caused-by-foreign-adversary-intelligence-report-finds/