Havana Syndrome not caused by foreign adversaries, energy weapons, or aliens, U.S. intelligence assesses
The U.S. intelligence community has determined that it's very unlikely the mysterious health incidents reported by hundreds of U.S. diplomats and spies since 2016 were caused by foreign adversaries, or that other countries even have a weapon capable of inflicting such ailments, according to an assessment by seven agencies released Wednesday. The constellation of disorienting and sometimes debilitating maladies, first reported by diplomats in Cuba, is known as Havana Syndrome, and the intelligence agencies examined more than 1,000 cases in 92 countries.
The two-year investigation began with the assumption that a foreign country was targeting U.S. personnel with a radio frequency device or some other kind of energy weapon, but these "critical assumptions" were "were not borne out by subsequent medical and technical analysis," Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said in statement. "In light of this and the evidence that points away from a foreign adversary, causal mechanism, or unique syndrome" that connects the hundreds of "anomalous health incidents," the agencies assessed that the symptoms were probably caused by things like "preexisting conditions, conventional illnesses, and environmental factors."
This assessment affirms a preliminary CIA report released last year but contradicts other studies, including the finding by a panel of government and outside experts that "the most plausible mechanism" to explain the symptoms was "directed, pulsed radio frequency energy." Advocacy groups for Havana Syndrome victims called the intelligence community's new assessment opaque and deficient.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Haines and CIA Director William Burns were careful to stress that the report does not cast doubt on the very real health issues experienced by the diplomats and intelligence officers. And the White House said affected personnel will continue getting care and compensation through legislation President Biden signed in 2021.
Intelligence officials said a dedicated team of seasoned analysts devoted extraordinary resources and left "no stone unturned" in trying to uncover the source of Havana Syndrome. This included examining cases, visiting sites where people experienced syndromes, asking other countries if their diplomats had reported similar incidents, and aggressively collecting intelligence from key adversaries who seemed genuinely confused by and suspicious of Havana Syndrome. "Many see a U.S. plot," one official told reporters.
"Intelligence officials even examined the possibility of extraterrestrial involvement, questioning whether the symptoms could be caused by a device in the sky," the Miami Herald reports. "It's not that there weren't leads. There were leads," a second official told reporters. "But every time we followed them up, they dissipated."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
LA-to-Las Vegas high-speed rail line breaks ground
Speed Read The railway will be ready as soon as 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel's military intelligence chief resigns
Speed Read Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva is the first leader to quit for failing to prevent the Hamas attack in October
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Lead poisoning remains a threat
The Explainer The toxin is built into our lives
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Texas dairy worker gets bird flu from infected cow
Speed Read The virus has been spreading among cattle in Texas, Kansas, Michigan and New Mexico
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dengue hits the Americas hard and early
Speed Read Puerto Rico has declared an epidemic as dengue cases surge
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The alarming rise of cancer in young people
Under the radar Cancer rates are rising, and the cause is not clear
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
US bans final type of asbestos
Speed Read Exposure to asbestos causes about 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Our microbiome is social like us
The Explainer Microbes can be friendly too
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
What Florida is — and isn't — doing to curb the biggest measles outbreak in the US
Talking Points DeSantis appointee defies expert consensus to stop the spread
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How love impacts your health
The Explainer Turns out you actually can die of a broken heart
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published