Health Incidents Impacting U.S. Government Personnel: An Explainer
Memorandum
Subject: Health incidents impacting U.S. government personnel; an explainer
Date: June 18, 2021
Questions? Contact info@democracyinamericas.org
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Summary: Questions abound more than four years after mysterious health incidents and serious symptoms were first reported among U.S. and Canadian Embassy personnel in Cuba and then, among U.S. personnel in China and Russia. Incidents have since been reported in over ten countries, including the U.S. Affected personnel complain of a lack of urgency in the U.S. government’s investigation and of inconsistencies in the State Department’s response to events in Cuba versus those elsewhere. U.S. Embassy staff cuts in Cuba have had negative consequences ranging from the halt to refugee processing and visa issuance, to limited political and human rights monitoring.
Conclusions: Views on state of affairs.
The U.S. Embassy in Cuba should be restaffed in a responsible way.
There was a seeming lack of urgency on the part of the Trump administration to reach a conclusion about the source/cause of the health incidents.
Congress, the public, and those affected deserve greater transparency.
The U.S. has been inconsistent in its handling of incidents in Cuba, China, Russia, the U.S. and in other countries known about now.
There have been no additional health incidents reported in Cuba since 2017.
Investigations into reported health incidents have become a priority for the Biden-Harris Administration, although further conclusions surrounding the events remain limited and U.S. response to Cuba remains inconsistent with those elsewhere.
A fully functional embassy is essential to pursuing U.S. interests in the relationship with Cuba.
Background: In 2017, 26 U.S. personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Havana were found to have suffered symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, cognitive impacts, and ringing in the ears as a result of what the State Department called at the time a “health attack” and which some refer to as “Havana Syndrome.” Canadian diplomats in Cuba and their families were also affected; the government reports upwards of 41 affected individuals to date, although some diplomats suggest that number is higher. U.S. personnel were first examined by medical professionals in Florida, and then at the Center for Brain Injury and Repair at the University of Pennsylvania. In May 2018, Sec. of State Mike Pompeo said that a U.S. Government employee from the U.S. consulate in Guangzhou, China presented symptoms in which “the medical indications are very similar and entirely consistent,” with those in Cuba. 15 additional U.S. personnel from China were evacuated for medical evaluation. In August 2020, the National Academy of Sciences presented a report examining potential causes of the episodes with the State Department. In October 2020, it was reported that a C.I.A. officer suffered extreme vertigo and lasting post-incident symptoms at a Moscow hotel in 2017. In December 2020, the National Academy of Sciences report was publicly released and shared with Congress. In February 2021, the National Security Archive published a report from the U.S. State Department’s Accountability Review Board criticizing the Trump administration for not responding to the health incidents in a timely manner and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency launched an expanded task force to investigate and respond to the health incidents. In March 2021, the State Department launched a task force led by U.S diplomat Pamela Spratlen, to oversee the department’s response to the health incidents. In April and May 2021, additional health incidents involving U.S. personnel were reported in Virginia, near the White House, and in Miami. In June 2021, the White House National Security Council announced the creation of the two panels to investigate the health incidents following increased pressure from U.S. Senators and impacted U.S. personnel.
Timeline of Health Incidents:
November 2016-March 2017: In late 2016, U.S. personnel in Havana reported hearing a “high-pitched sound” and experiencing strange health symptoms including concussion-like symptoms of hearing loss, headaches, and nausea. After a U.S. diplomat was diagnosed with serious hearing loss in Miami, some U.S. personnel were evacuated from Havana.
May 2017: In May 2017, the Trump administration expelled two Cuban diplomats from the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C.
August 2017: News breaks that 24 U.S. personnel and at least 8 Canadian diplomats suffered similar symptoms in Havana while at private diplomatic residencies and two hotels. The affected personnel experienced hearing loss, severe headaches, balance disorders, memory problems, and nausea among other symptoms. Doctors treating the affected diagnosed them with brain damage similar to what is caused by traumatic brain injuries. Doctors reportedly found abnormalities in the white matter of patients’ brains which is the part of the brain responsible for transmitting information between cells. An initial theory was that the symptoms were the result of a “sonic attack” using microwave beams. The U.S. State Department stated they did not know the source or cause of the incidents, but then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson repeatedly insinuated Cuba was responsible and demanded that Cuba immediately stop the “targeted attacks’ on U.S. diplomats in Havana. Cuba’s government responded by stating they would never allow actions against diplomats on their soil and that they were willing to cooperate fully with the U.S. to investigate the incident. Cuba launched an independent investigation and invited the FBI to visit as needed to conduct their own investigation. The FBI went on to visit Cuba four times.
September 2017: The U.S. State Department ordered the temporary departure of non-essential personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Havana, although most U.S. Foreign Service members preferred to remain in Cuba. The staff cuts resulted in the complete halt of consular services, leading to delays in the processing of visas for Cubans and Cuban Americans. The State Department also expelled 15 Cuban diplomats from the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C. That month, the State Department also ordered a Travel Warning, advising U.S. citizens to reconsider travel to Cuba. Shortly afterward, at a news conference in the White House Rose Garden, President Trump stated “I do believe Cuba is responsible. I do believe that. And it’s a very unusual attack, as you know. But I do believe Cuba is responsible.”
December 2017: A panel of Cuban doctors shared findings from a 9-month long study regarding the health incidents, concluding that U.S. diplomats most likely suffered “a collective psychogenic disorder.” The Cuban doctors suggested that the symptoms experienced by diplomats were not a deliberate “health attack” and instead could be attributed to mass psychogenic illness.
January 2018: Then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced that the State Department would be maintaining the ordered departure status of U.S. personnel in Havana. A private interim FBI report stated that, after multiple trips to Cuba and months of investigation, they found no evidence which confirmed a “sonic attack” had taken place and they did not uncover evidence of intentional harm.
On January 9, Senator Marco Rubio (FL) held a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing on the health incidents with three witnesses from the Department of State. Sen. Rubio accused Cuba’s government of hiding knowledge of the attacks and suggested that a third country, likely Russia, was responsible for the attacks. At the hearing, the witnesses dismissed theories that the health symptoms were caused by mass psychogenic illness.
March 2018: The U.S. State Department permanently converted the U.S. Embassy in Havana into an “unaccompanied post,” meaning family members cannot accompany U.S. personnel working there. Staffing remains restricted to “essential personnel.”
On March 20, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a report after evaluating 21 of the individuals affected in Havana. Using brain imaging, the study revealed that victims experienced physical brain trauma. The report did not conclude that the symptoms were caused by a sonic attack. While the report did not completely rule out mass hysteria or a viral infection, it did not find evidence suggesting either occurred. Since the report was released, its thoroughness, accuracy, and dismissal of alternative theories have been criticized by some scientists.
The Miami Herald reported in March 2018, about computer scientists from the University of Michigan who reverse engineered the AP-reported audio and determined the sounds could have come from two listening devices placed too closely together.
May-June 2018: Reports state that at least one U.S. individual working in the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, China suffered similar symptoms as those reported by U.S. personnel in Havana. Several U.S. employees in Guangzhou and Beijing were evacuated from their posts for medical evaluation in the U.S. The Administration’s response to the incident in China differed significantly from its response in Cuba.
August 2018: The U.S. State Department officially limited the standard tour of duty in Cuba to one year, a shorter length than the typical diplomatic tour, which is usually used for conflict zones. Shortly after, the U.S. State Department revised the Cuba Travel Advisory from Level 3 to Level 2, the same level as China.
September 2018: The lead author of the JAMA study stated he believed microwave radiation was an explanation for victims’ brain injuries. A doctor at the University of California San Diego wrote a paper defending the theory. A team of doctors at the State Department reportedly did not believe the microwave theory, instead claiming a “directed energy weapon” may have been the cause. In an interview with Cuba’s Granma newspaper on September 4, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Director for the U.S. at Cuba’s Foreign Ministry, insisted that “the microwave theory cannot explain the symptoms” suffered by the U.S. diplomats in Havana. Cuba’s government continued denying allegations that U.S. diplomats were attacked on Cuban soil and instead continued proposing mass psychogenic illness as an explanation for the ailments. Members of Cuba's scientific team researching the health incidents traveled to Washington, D.C. and met with Members of Congress on September 13, 2018.
On September 6, the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Western Hemisphere Subcommittee held a hearing with witnesses from the State Department Bureaus of Western Hemisphere, Diplomatic Security, and Medical Services; the Health Incident Task Force; and GAO.
On September 11, NBC reported that intelligence agencies considered Russia the leading suspect in the health incidents in Havana and China. Reports indicated supporting signals intelligence, or intercepted Russian communications. Evidence was not yet conclusive enough to formally blame Russia.
January 2019: The New York Times reported on January 4, 2019, that two scientists from the U.S. and the UK, after analyzing a recording of the alleged sounds made by diplomats and published by The Associated Press, concluded a match with the chirp of a Caribbean cricket. However, they stated that the fact that the sound on the recording was produced by a Caribbean cricket does not rule out the possibility that embassy personnel were victims of another form of attack.
February 2019: In a February 2019 article, Vanity Fair asserted that “mass hysteria” led diplomatic personnel in Havana to feel sick. According to specialists, individuals affected by “conversion disorder,” or the conversion of stress and fear into actual physical illness, can develop symptoms that could appear to be caused by external sources.
Members of Cuba's scientific team researching the health incidents traveled to Washington, D.C. a second time.
September 2019: Results of a study by a group of Canadian researchers affiliated with the Brain Repair Centre at Dalhousie University and the Nova Scotia Health Authority were released. The study identified fumigation as a possible cause of the illnesses, citing that from 2016-2018 when the illnesses began taking place, Cuban and Canadian authorities increased fumigation to combat the Zika epidemic on the island. One of the ingredients used in the pesticides may have inhibited the proper functioning of an enzyme required by the nervous system.
August 2020: The National Academy of Sciences submitted a report to the U.S. State Department examining potential causes of the episodes. The report was not initially shared with Congress or with the public. Dr. David A. Relman, a Stanford University professor who is chairman of the committee studying the cases stated it was “disheartening and immensely frustrating” that the State Department withheld the report from Congress and the public.
October 2020: The New York Times reported that a C.I.A. officer suffered symptoms similar to those experienced by U.S. personnel in Cuba and China while he was in Russia in December 2017.
December 2020: On December 5, the National Academy of Sciences report was released and shared with Congress. The report claimed that “directed, pulsed radio frequency energy” is the most likely cause of the neurological symptoms experienced by U.S. diplomats in Cuba, China, and Russia. It did not entirely rule out other possible causes. It also did not conclude that the directed energy was delivered intentionally but leaves that as a possibility. The report did not conclusively identify Russia or any other actor as responsible.
Senator Patrick Leahy (VT) publicly reacted to the report’s release, pointing out that several Members of Congress and others who accused Cuba’s government of being responsible did so without basis, and that no report has found any evidence suggesting they were responsible. He also stated that “The Trump Administration’s handling of these incidents has been sluggish, superficial, disjointed, overly secretive, and infected by politics.”
February 2021: The National Security Archive published a report from the U.S. State Department’s Accountability Review Board that criticized the Trump administration for not responding to the health incidents in a timely manner. The report suggests that the Administration’s slow and disorganized response may prohibit the cause of the attacks from being determined. Shortly after the report was released, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency launched an expanded task force to investigate and respond to the health incidents.
On February 24th, CIA Director William Burns stated during his confirmation hearing that he would prioritize care for those affected by the incidents, and that he would “make it an extraordinarily high priority to get to the bottom of who’s responsible for the attacks.”
March 2021: On March 12th, the State Department launched a task force led by U.S diplomat Pamela Spratlen, to oversee the department’s response to the health incidents.
April 2021: White House official Juan Gonzalez stated in an interview with CNN that the U.S. is not currently complying with an immigration accord with Cuba due to the health related incidents at the U.S. Embassy in Havana. Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez responded to Mr. Gonzalez’s remarks in a tweet stating that the “legend” of the microwave attacks was “nonsense that has already been dismissed by science.”
On April 29th, CNN reported that several U.S. agencies began investigating two possible occurrences of health incidents in the United States. One of the incidents involved a National Security Council official near the White House following the 2020 Presidential election. The second incident involved a White House official who reported experiencing similar symptoms while in a Virginia suburb outside of Washington D.C. in 2019. On the same day as CNN’s reporting, Politico reported that additional investigations of health incidents involving federal personnel in Miami, FL were being conducted by U.S. officials and that the number of incidents appeared to be increasing.
May 2021: Members of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, including Senators Mark Warner (VA) and Marco Rubio (FL), reaffirmed their commitment to investigating the health incidents impacting U.S. personnel and released a statement saying that the incidents appear to be increasing. The New York Times substantiated the perceived increase in incidents, reporting that more than 130 people have been affected by the health incidents in Cuba, Russia, China, the U.S. and elsewhere in both Europe and Asia.
On May 17th, CNN reported that a second health incident near the White House occurred following the 2020 Election. The affected National Security Council official suffered symptoms near an entrance to the White House grounds.
On May 26th, a group of government staffers, diplomats and their spouses impacted by the health incidents sent a letter to leaders at the State Department voicing their frustration and urging the Biden-Harris Administration to provide better care for those impacted.
June 2021: The Biden-Harris administration announced the creation of two panels formed to study the health incidents experienced by U.S. personnel. The White House National Security Council will oversee the creation of the panels and include experts from both inside and outside of the U.S. government.