It’s a mystery wrapped in an enigma. And nobody has solved it..At least, not yet..It’s called “Havana syndrome,” because it began in one of my favourite places to visit, Havana, Cuba..Wikipedia describes it as "a cluster of symptoms experienced abroad by US government officials and military personnel." The symptoms range from headaches, loss of memory, inability to concentrate, cognitive and vision problems, noise sensitivity, dizziness, nausea, sleep disturbances, mood changes and nosebleeds, and were first reported in 2016 by US and Canadian embassy staff..Such was the devastation and weight of Havana syndrome that last summer the US State Department announced they would be cutting big cheques for embassy workers afflicted by the condition..Those payouts, payable to both current and former State Department workers and family members with “qualifying injuries,” ranged between US$140,000 and US$187,000, depending on the injury level.. Canadian embassy in HavanaDiplomats and workers at the Canadian embassy in Havana have also been affected by the so-called Havana Syndrome. Their claim for compensation is under review in Ottawa. .Meanwhile, in the Great White North, former Supreme Court justice Thomas Cromwell is mediating claims from nine family members of Canadian diplomats. The Federal Court action filed in 2019 by diplomats and dependents — now numbering 18 plaintiffs — seeks millions of dollars in damages..The so-called syndrome was investigated by the CIA, the FBI, CSIS and countless scientific experts and nobody has a solid answer. Until now..A newly released declassified report by a panel of experts claims “Havana syndrome” is not a naturally occurring health phenomenon Salon and The Hill reported..That leaves it open to the possibility — and this is a huge deal — the reported maladies are the result of the use of an unknown weapon — something many have suspected, all along..The report, which was obtained by Salon via a public records request, was prepared for the director of National Intelligence by a panel of experts who reviewed the origins of anomalous health incidents (AHI) that have affected officials not only in Cuba, but around the world..The 153-page redacted report — yes, it’s heavily redacted — concluded some of the cases “cannot be easily explained by known environmental or medical conditions and could be due to external stimuli.”.“Although some signs and symptoms of AHIs are common in known medical conditions, the combination of the four core characteristics is distinctly unusual, is unreported elsewhere in the medical literature, and so far has not been associated with a specific neurological abnormality,” the report stated..The report also held that electromagnetic energy could explain the characteristics of some of the cases..“Electromagnetic energy, particularly pulsed signals in the radio frequency range, plausibly explains the core characteristics, although information gaps exist,” the report said..A popular theory surrounding the incidents is the health ailments were the results of some type of interference by a foreign government — notably, Putin’s GRU, SVR … or even its murky Unit 29155, tasked with foreign assassinations and other nasty activities aimed at destabilizing EU countries..The report is in stark contrast to the conclusion of the US intelligence community, which said earlier this month the health incidents were unlikely to be the result of interference by a foreign government..Nothing to see here. Move along, in other words..The newly released report, however, states clearly “sources exist that could generate the required stimuli, are concealable, and have moderate power requirements.”.In all probability, Havana syndrome could very well be the result of a new diplomatic surveillance weapon, gone awry. Intentionally, or, unintentionally..Who exactly is enabling this weapon, still remains a mystery. But we now know, it is possible. Very possible..And five will get you 10, it involves a certain fellow in the Kremlin..All it will take is one defection to get to the bottom of it. It’s only a matter of time.
It’s a mystery wrapped in an enigma. And nobody has solved it..At least, not yet..It’s called “Havana syndrome,” because it began in one of my favourite places to visit, Havana, Cuba..Wikipedia describes it as "a cluster of symptoms experienced abroad by US government officials and military personnel." The symptoms range from headaches, loss of memory, inability to concentrate, cognitive and vision problems, noise sensitivity, dizziness, nausea, sleep disturbances, mood changes and nosebleeds, and were first reported in 2016 by US and Canadian embassy staff..Such was the devastation and weight of Havana syndrome that last summer the US State Department announced they would be cutting big cheques for embassy workers afflicted by the condition..Those payouts, payable to both current and former State Department workers and family members with “qualifying injuries,” ranged between US$140,000 and US$187,000, depending on the injury level.. Canadian embassy in HavanaDiplomats and workers at the Canadian embassy in Havana have also been affected by the so-called Havana Syndrome. Their claim for compensation is under review in Ottawa. .Meanwhile, in the Great White North, former Supreme Court justice Thomas Cromwell is mediating claims from nine family members of Canadian diplomats. The Federal Court action filed in 2019 by diplomats and dependents — now numbering 18 plaintiffs — seeks millions of dollars in damages..The so-called syndrome was investigated by the CIA, the FBI, CSIS and countless scientific experts and nobody has a solid answer. Until now..A newly released declassified report by a panel of experts claims “Havana syndrome” is not a naturally occurring health phenomenon Salon and The Hill reported..That leaves it open to the possibility — and this is a huge deal — the reported maladies are the result of the use of an unknown weapon — something many have suspected, all along..The report, which was obtained by Salon via a public records request, was prepared for the director of National Intelligence by a panel of experts who reviewed the origins of anomalous health incidents (AHI) that have affected officials not only in Cuba, but around the world..The 153-page redacted report — yes, it’s heavily redacted — concluded some of the cases “cannot be easily explained by known environmental or medical conditions and could be due to external stimuli.”.“Although some signs and symptoms of AHIs are common in known medical conditions, the combination of the four core characteristics is distinctly unusual, is unreported elsewhere in the medical literature, and so far has not been associated with a specific neurological abnormality,” the report stated..The report also held that electromagnetic energy could explain the characteristics of some of the cases..“Electromagnetic energy, particularly pulsed signals in the radio frequency range, plausibly explains the core characteristics, although information gaps exist,” the report said..A popular theory surrounding the incidents is the health ailments were the results of some type of interference by a foreign government — notably, Putin’s GRU, SVR … or even its murky Unit 29155, tasked with foreign assassinations and other nasty activities aimed at destabilizing EU countries..The report is in stark contrast to the conclusion of the US intelligence community, which said earlier this month the health incidents were unlikely to be the result of interference by a foreign government..Nothing to see here. Move along, in other words..The newly released report, however, states clearly “sources exist that could generate the required stimuli, are concealable, and have moderate power requirements.”.In all probability, Havana syndrome could very well be the result of a new diplomatic surveillance weapon, gone awry. Intentionally, or, unintentionally..Who exactly is enabling this weapon, still remains a mystery. But we now know, it is possible. Very possible..And five will get you 10, it involves a certain fellow in the Kremlin..All it will take is one defection to get to the bottom of it. It’s only a matter of time.
