U.S. diplomats, spies may have been hit by electromagnetic energy
-report
Send a link to a friend
[February 03, 2022]
By Jonathan Landay
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Some of the 1,000
U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers hit by a mysterious illness
known as Havana Syndrome could have been targeted by electromagnetic
energy pulses, according to a report to U.S. intelligence leaders
released on Wednesday.
"Pulse electromagnetic energy, particularly in the radio frequency
range, plausibly explains" the ear pain, vertigo, and other symptoms of
some of those suffering the ailments first reported by U.S. diplomats in
the Cuban capital in 2016, experts from inside and outside the U.S.
government said.
The panel of experts was convened by Director of National Intelligence
Avril Haines and CIA Deputy Director David Cohen.
The combination of symptoms "cannot be easily explained by known
environment or medical conditions" among a subset of victims. The number
of those people was not disclosed in the report's unclassified executive
summary.
Cases have been reported in Russia, China, Tajikistan and some African
countries.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Feb/03/images/ads/current/heartland_lda_NOV2021.png)
The findings echo a 2020 National Academy of Sciences study and follow a
Jan. 20 interim CIA report that concluded that it was unlikely that
Russia or another foreign adversary was behind most of the so-called
"anomalous health incidents."
The CIA report, however, said there were about two dozen cases of the
1,000 that remained unexplained.
The report released on Wednesday did not delve into responsibility. But
its conclusions will likely fuel frustration among current and former
U.S. officials who lack a clear explanation for their chronic
afflictions.
"We were not looking at attribution or assigning it to a foreign
adversary or actor. We stuck to the causal mechanism," a U.S.
intelligence official familiar with the report told reporters.
The findings "reinforce the need for a coordinated, whole of government
approach," Mark Zaid, a lawyer representing victims from numerous U.S.
government agencies, said in a statement. "These piece-meal agency
reviews at times reveal inconsistent and even contradictory results."
[to top of second column]
|
![](../images/020322pics/news_o63.jpg)
A security guard stands outside the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba,
December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Feb/03/images/ads/current/humanesociety_sda022411.png) Eric Lander, director of the White
House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said in a statement
that the panel worked for nearly nine months and was the first of
several expert groups to have such extensive access "to intelligence
reporting and patient data."
The panel found that the symptoms "are genuine and compelling" based
on medical reports and interviews with physicians and victims.
In finding that "pulsed electromagnetic energy" could be the cause,
the panel said "information gaps exist" but there are several
plausible ways the energy could have been generated "each with its
own requirements, limitations and unknowns."
Such sources exist that "are concealable and have moderate power
requirements," the report said. "Using non-standard antennas and
techniques, the signals could be propagated with low loss" through
the air and building materials.
Individuals accidentally exposed to electromagnetic energy signals -
which include radio waves, microwaves and X-rays - have reported
"sensations" similar to the symptoms reported by Havana Syndrome
victims, the report noted.
Ultrasound also could account for the symptoms, but only if a victim
was in close proximity to the beam because ultrasound "propagates
poorly through the air and building materials," it continued.
Psychosocial factors - which include work demands, stress and
depression - cannot alone account for the core symptoms of Havana
Syndrome, it said.
The report offered recommendations to help understand, prevent and
manage the afflictions, including collecting and coordinating
incident and medical data within the U.S. government.
(Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Grant
McCool)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Feb/03/images/ads/current/debbiesfloral_lda_VALENTINES_2020.png) |