Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Moscow Microwaves.

Monday, September 16, 2013 (original post)


Moscow Microwaves.
(Excerpt from Chapter 11.5 Moscow 1977-1979)
Most Recent Update: March 18, 2024

To go back to Chapter 11.5  Moscow 1977-1979, use this link. Or, go to July 1977 in the table of contents running on the right of this blog.


US Embassy Moscow 1953-2000   (OOB)
                                                                       

In 1976, all hell broke loose at Embassy Moscow over the microwave issue.  It had been a long time coming. 

Unbeknownst to most Embassy staffers, the Soviets had been irradiating the upper floors of the Moscow Chancery with low-level microwaves, also called "Moscow Signal."  Continuous monitoring of the signal had begun in 1963, although a State Department-sponsored study implied that the microwaving of the Chancery dated from 1953, the year we moved in.  As disturbing as this situation was, the existence of Moscow Signal was kept under wraps while the US tried to work out its purpose, and whether there might be health problems associated with microwave exposure. Later, according to unconfirmed reports, the Nixon administration maintained this secrecy in an effort to avoid damaging chances for détente. The signal increased in intensity in 1975, however, and it was decided that our Ambassador in Moscow, Walter Stoessel, had to be briefed.  When he learned about the problem in January 1976, Ambassador Stoessel threatened to resign unless he could also brief the Embassy community.  As a result, the microwave story became public.  

Ambassador Walter Stoessel

In the wake of Ambassador Stoessel’s announcement, many in the Embassy community felt betrayed about being kept in the dark for so long, and still more were anxious about the health effects the microwaves might be having. Some reportedly filed lawsuits against the Department.

The Purpose of Moscow Signal.

The true purpose of Moscow Signal remains a matter of dispute. One theory was that the microwaves were being used by the Soviets to activate listening devices they had emplaced in the building prior to American occupancy.  In fact, conventional wired bugs had been installed as "original equipment" before we moved into the Chancery back in 1953, and the microwaves were thought by some to be an additional espionage tool, in keeping with the "belt and suspenders" strategy often employed by the Soviets (if one way of spying is discovered, others will remain undiscovered).   

The Moscow Signal bug theory was described in detail in “The Spy in Moscow Station,” by Eric Haseltine, which recounted the efforts of NSA officer Charles Gandy to get to the bottom of the microwave issue in the late 1970s. His conclusions, which, it should be noted, are still highly controversial, were based on a technical survey done at Embassy Moscow in 1978. Gandy believed that the Soviets were using microwaves (Moscow Unidentified Technical Signals, or MUTS) to activate passive bugs in the walls of the Embassy that were much more advanced than the “Thing,” or Theremin device that was found in Spaso House in 1952 (the signal was first detected in 1951). 


Spaso Great Seal Bug

Gandy also believed that MUTS was being used to read voices off windows by “RF imposition,” and could be used to intercept electronic signals and voices reflected off electronic devices in unprotected areas by a technique known as “RF flooding.” A few years later, Gandy also took part in efforts leading to the discovery in 1984 of bugged IBM Selectric typewriters in Moscow and Leningrad (Project GUNMAN).  

There were other theories as well.  Many believed that the microwaves were a jamming signal designed to foil our own electronic devices. However, as the Soviets themselves were the source of this explanation, the theory lacked a certain credibility. It could be that both theories were in fact correct, as they were not necessarily mutually exclusive, but the answer to that question is currently not available in the unclassified realm. 

Possible Health Effects.

That said, many Embassy staffers were less concerned with the ostensible purpose of the microwaves than with what their health effects might be.  This apprehension seemed to be borne out over the years by the finding, in the early 1970s, that an unusual number of people were departing post with elevated white cell counts.  It also came out that, anecdotally at least, there seemed to be a larger number of cancer cases, and especially leukemia, among former Embassy staff than would appear to be normal.

All in all, many people in Moscow were agitated and offended by what appeared to be efforts to sweep the whole controversy under the rug.  Moscow staffers tended to be a little overwrought in any case, due to the unique pressures of work and life in Moscow, and the efforts of the State Department to assuage their concerns were viewed with extreme suspicion.

The clincher for many Moscow staffers was the unusual incidence of illness on the part of American Ambassadors stationed in Moscow.  An article by Paul Brodeur in the December 20, 1976 issue of New Yorker reported that not only had two recent American Ambassadors to Moscow died of pancreatic cancer (Llewellyn “Tommy” Thompson and Charles Chip” Bohlen), then-Ambassador Walter Stoessel was suffering from a severe blood disorder (Ambassador Stoessel, who was universally admired, eventually died of leukemia in 1986). 


 
To most Moscow staffers, it just seemed like too much of a coincidence. Brodeur also noted that: "
There have been some disturbing preliminary results from studies done on [Embassy Moscow personnel] —for example, that one-third of embassy employees have developed lymphocytosis, an abnormality of the blood-forming system leading to a high count of lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. In addition, there is believed to be an excessively high rate of cancer among Moscow embassy personnel."  [The Zapping of America, by Paul Brodeur, pp. 109-110]

A study of the Embassy community by Johns Hopkins in 1978 purportedly "proved" that Embassy personnel were not significantly affected by the microwave bombardment. The study was hurried, however, and not peer-reviewed at the time.  The study acknowledged in its Recommendations section that it was incomplete, and added that "Since the group with the highest exposure to microwaves, those who were present at the Moscow embassy during the period from June 1975 to February 1976, has had only a short time for any effects to appear, it would seem desirable that this particular study population should be contacted at periodic intervals of 2 to 3 years within the next several years in order to ascertain if any health effects would appear. Furthermore. it would be important to develop a surveillance system for deaths in the entire study population to be certain that no mortality differences occur in the future and to monitor the proportion of deaths due to malignancies, especially among the women." As far as I have been able to determine, no systematic follow-up was ever done.  The State Department had its report, washed its hands of the matter, and moved on. This was despite the fact that
 the microwaving of the Embassy reportedly continued at least until 1988, and most likely well beyond that date. Over the years, thousands of Americans were exposed.

A 2019 re-evaluation of the Johns Hopkins study called into question its methodology and conclusions, and some of the criticisms are indeed devastating.  In my view, they discredit the Johns Hopkins study and call for a complete and more comprehensive re-evaluation (see below Reference Material no. 3: The “Moscow Signal” epidemiological study, 40 years on ). 

My Personal Experience.

I arrived at Embassy Moscow in the summer of 1977 to take up my new assignment as Ambassador Toon's staff aide (Ambassador Stoessel had left post in September 1976). I knew about the microwave controversy, but the issue had faded a bit into the background before I arrived, and I was much more concerned about the immediate task of learning my new responsibilities. At the time, it seemed to me that the microwave issue was taken more seriously by Embassy spouses, who were afraid for their children, than by the Embassy leadership, which, as usual, was absorbed with its daily tasks.  I did notice the screens that were put up on some Chancery windows to diminish microwave penetration, but for me, it was nothing special. It was just another part of life in Moscow. Microwaves continued to be beamed at the Embassy throughout my tour. 


Unidentified Staffer in Dushanbe -- 1978


Shortly after I returned to the States, I found out that my cavalier attitude toward the microwave issue was not justified.  Med informed me in late 1979 that my own white cell count was much higher than normal, and advised me to continue testing.  In 1985, my white cell count got high enough for Med to recommend that I see a hematologist, so I went to a local doctor in San ClementeDr. Tsang P. Fong.  He did a bone marrow test (the one where they hammer a spike into the pelvic bone – very uncomfortable).  The test confirmed that I had Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) stage zero, but that chemotherapy was not advisable, since I had no symptoms and the cure would be worse than the disease. 

As the reality of my illness began to set in, I started studying the issue.  My research on CLL was not encouraging.  Most patients progressed slowly to Stage Four and survived on average only a few years.  The mortality rate 20 years out was close to 100 percent.  I determined to fight the disease as best I could by leading a healthy lifestyle, although, paradoxically, I then volunteered for a high-risk assignment to Kabul in 1988.  Perhaps in the back of my mind, I had this feeling that I could take more risks since I didn't have very long to live anyway.  State Medical knew about the CLL diagnosis and downgraded me to a “2” Medical clearance, but didn’t stop me from going overseas, mainly because the jobs I was volunteering for often had no takers.

My white count stayed stable through the 1980s, although I did notice that there were periods where I would look especially pale or have slightly swollen glands.  My visits to Dr. Fong convinced me, however, that I was doing much better than expected.  Most other patients I saw were very sick indeed, a pitiable lot.  In the 1990s for reasons no one can really explain, my white count began to normalize.  By 1999, my CLL was in remission. At my last State Department physical in 2001, my “1” clearance was restored. In more recent times, my CLL has appeared again, but still at a level that does not require chemotherapy.

To this day, I don’t know exactly how I got CLL.  In the back of my mind, however, I have always considered Moscow microwaves to be a prime suspect.  I had arrived in Moscow in 1977 in perfect health, and I left in 1979 with a high white cell count and was diagnosed six years later with CLL. This came as a shock to me, as there was no family history of leukemia. I have often wondered how many others have faced similar unexpected medical issues over the past few decades.  Perhaps another, independent study of the problem is warranted.  I would certainly support such a proposal.


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Background Materials.


I. Irradiating Nixon, Spaso House, July 1959. 

In a 2018 biography of Ambassador Tommy Thompson, “The Kremlinologist,” daughters Jenny and Sherry Thompson wrote about microwaves beamed at the U.S. Embassy when their father was Ambassador to Moscow 1957-62. According to them, the Soviets also bombarded Spaso House, the Ambassador’s residence, with microwaves. In fact, a security team advancing Vice President Nixon's visit in 1959 noted a spike in radiation levels just before his arrival. After a protest, the radiation level dropped, but no one apparently bothered to follow up to see whether the radiation returned to its former high level after that. “No one seemed to care…if the radiation continued or not after Nixon left.” (see p. 181). The daughters also noted parenthetically that the U.S. was doing something similar to "listen to the Soviet Embassy in Washington, DC," without giving a source for their information. 

Spaso House


A similar story was told in "K Blows Top" (pp. 31-33, pub. 2009) by Peter Carlson, a humorous history of Khrushchev's rather strange trip to the US in 1959, and Nixon's trip to Moscow that took place a few months earlier.  In fact, the story parallels very closely the account in recently declassified documents , which revealed that Spaso residents were being bombarded not by microwaves, but ionizing radiation, and reported how Secret Service agents managed to stop the threat, at least for the duration of Nixon's visit. That Carlson was able to pick up this story and retell it in a humorous fashion indicates that it was generally known in the Washington national security community. The story was also told, briefly, in Khrushchev's Cold War, by Aleksandr Fursenko and Timothy Naftali (p. 249 and note 49, pub. 2006).

 Recent declassified documents would tend to indicate that the U.S. was not bombarding the Soviet Embassy with microwaves, although there were negotiations to remove the sheds on the top of both chanceries as part of a general deal on microwaves. With the exception of the Great Seal bug at Spaso, it is still unknown whether the Soviets were using microwaves or other frequencies regularly on Spaso or other non-chancery locations. It was revealed, however, that the Soviets were exposing Spaso House residents to something far worse: potentially lethal ionizing radiation (see National Security Archive release, "Irradiating Richard Nixon"). It is unknown whether this was a one-time occurrence, or also happened at times other than Nixon's 1959 visit. Speaking as someone who worked in the target area at the chancery, also lived for two years at Spaso House, and was diagnosed with CLL shortly after my return from Moscow in 1979, this is of course of some small interest to me


II. Phenomena: Moscow Microwaves in the 1960s and 1970s.

Information on Moscow Signal is sketchy in the public domain, but a recent book, Phenomena,” published in 2017, by Annie Jacobson, adds in some new information on how the Moscow Signal issue was handled – or mishandled -- in the 1960s and 1970s.

Following the discovery that microwaves were being beamed at the US Embassy in Moscow, “scientists with Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory were assigned to oversee research into the phenomenon. An elaborate facility was constructed inside the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Forest Glen Section. Here, inside an anechoic chamber (an echo chamber designed to completely absorb reflections of either sound or electromagnetic waves), primates were irradiated with microwave beams with a power density similar to that of the Moscow Signal. ARPA’s Richard S. Cesaro was in charge of what was called Project Pandora. Within a few months of beaming the signal at the monkeys, Cesaro became convinced of its harmful nature, deciding that it adversely affected the internal organs of primates, including the brain. “In our experiments, we did some remarkable things. And there was no question in my mind that you can get into the brain with microwaves,” Cesaro later said. It was later determined that the microwave beam produced Alzheimer’s disease.” [It should be noted, however, that Cesaro’s findings were highly disputed, as were all findings that the microwaves caused harm to humans. Cesaro himself was fired from ARPA in 1969.]

During the 1960s, secret studies were carried out on Embassy Moscow personnel, who were not told about the microwaves, but were given the cover story that “viral studies” were being conducted. 

U.S. Embassy Moscow, 1964 (Bettman Archive)

There was much controversy about whether microwaves were harmful. Dr. Samuel Koslov, a Navy scientist who worked on the ARPA project, contended the signals were harmless. Many others did not agree, but Koslov’s view eventually prevailed.

A few government scientists broke ranks and discussed the government’s shortcomings in the area of electromagnetic weapons. They included the biologist Dr. Allan H. Frey, who made a number of important contributions to the study of microwaves, including the discovery of the “Frey effect,” or the ability of subjects to hear microwaves at certain frequencies and interpret the sound as clicks.

A colleague, Dr. Robert O. Becker, resigned from his position because he thought the research the US government was conducting was immoral. At this time, the government was still keeping Moscow Signal secret from Embassy Moscow employees, and reportedly had used microwaves to experiment secretly on U.S. Navy personnel at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. “Becker’s government work convinced him that a microwave signal such as the Moscow Signal ‘could affect the central nervous system, put people to sleep, interfere with decision-making capacity and induce chronic stress,’ he said, and noted that the Soviets had been ‘using embassy employees as test subjects for low-level EMR [electromagnetic radiation] experiments.’

“The government had succeeded in keeping the programs secret, from the discovery of the Moscow Signal in 1962* until February 1976, when the Los Angeles Times broke the story. The unraveling had begun in 1973 when a new and more powerful set of Soviet microwave beams were picked up by the CIA in Moscow. Like the original Moscow Signal, these new electromagnetic beams were aimed at the upper floors of the embassy, where the ambassador and top intelligence officials had their offices.

“Finally, fourteen years after its discovery, in January 1976, U.S. Ambassador Walter Stoessel was briefed on the Moscow Signal. Stoessel filed a formal protest with the Soviets and…informed embassy personnel about their exposure to high-powered microwave beam radiation. ‘Several members of the embassy staff display symptoms that are non-specific but have been reported frequently in patients chronically exposed to non-ionizing radiation,” a State Department doctor reported. Symptoms included severe headaches, inability to concentrate, and fatigue.

“One hundred U.S. Embassy employees previously stationed in Moscow filed $250 million worth of lawsuits against the government for exposure related to Moscow Signal. In response, the State Department funded a [$300,000] study by the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, the same institution that had created the synthetic Moscow Signal against the monkeys. The study, released in November 1978, found ‘no convincing evidence that any employees suffered ‘adverse health effects as of the time of this analysis.’ According to State Department medical consultant Dr. Herbert Pollack, who advocated on behalf of the victims in a Senate subcommittee investigation, every suit was eventually withdrawn, ‘without a penny being paid.’

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*Note: Just as it took seven years for the US to discover that radio waves were activating a bug in Spaso House (1945-52), it is likely that the Soviets were using microwaves on Embassy Moscow long before they were first noted in 1962. This is why, for example, the 1978 Johns Hopkins study surveyed Embassy personnel going all the way back to the opening of the OOB at Tchaikovsky 19 in 1953. 


It also raises the question, which will probably never be answered, of

13 Mokhovaya
whether the Soviets ever used microwaves on the previous Embassy site at 13 Mokhovaya (1934-53). Personally, I think it is likely. Mokhovaya had all the facilities the OOB had, including a code room and offices for FSOs, military attaches, etc. Not incidentally, it was also direct line of sight to the Kremlin, a reality that must have made Stalin and his henchmen very nervous, if they assumed we had the same capabilities they did. That’s probably why the Soviets asked us to move, and not the apocryphal story that Stalin didn’t like seeing the American flag from the Kremlin.


Based on this report, which was done in 2019, there are strong indications that the 1978 Johns Hopkins study was rushed out in order to counter the $250 million dollars in lawsuits that were pending, and may have been toned down by the State Department to avoid liability. It was not peer reviewed at the time.

Some major conclusions of the 2019 re-evaluation:

1. "In 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) categorized radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as a possible carcinogen (Group 2B), and the debate over the safety of microwaves has raged ever since. The recent findings on animal experiments published by the National Program of Toxicology (2, 3) and the Ramazzini Institute (4) seem to indicate that a re-evaluation is needed, and that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields should be reclassified as being probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A), or even as being carcinogenic to humans (Group 1),"

2. Havana Syndrome is strongly suspected to be the result of a microwave attack.  Because of the similarity in symptoms to those experienced by victims of Moscow Signal: "The “Moscow signal” case, therefore, needs to be seriously reconsidered."

3. "The researcher J. R. Goldsmith harshly criticized the results of the study of Lilienfeld et al. [the Johns Hopkins study] (1), claiming that the findings had been massaged by the US Department of State, and that the results had been toned down (32). Goldsmith criticized the methodology of comparing the staff of the [Moscow] embassy with that of the other embassies. Why use the other embassies as a control group? How could they be sure that these other embassies had not also been irradiated? As indicated by Carpenter (22), Goldsmith reinterpreted the data from the original study by grouping the cases of deaths among all the embassies and comparing them with the reference population. By presenting the data in this way, the results change ostensibly. Goldsmith linked the cases of workers’ deaths to those of their relatives (“dependents”), which resulted in mortality due to leukemia becoming significant in Moscow. He then added these results to those of the other embassies (“both groups”) and found a statistically higher-than-expected number of cases of leukemia, brain tumors and breast cancer."  


4. "According to EMFacts (33), an initial study carried out in Moscow in 1967 on a group of 43 workers (37 exposed and seven unexposed), found abnormalities in the chromosomes of 20 of the 37  who had been exposed to microwaves, compared to two of the seven who had not. Subsequently, in 1976, another hematological study found significant differences between the embassy workers in Moscow and other employees of the foreign affairs service. Larger numbers of white blood cells were reported among the Moscow staff, but these results were never published."

5. "In 1977, in an article published in the Los Angeles Times (37), it was reported that an “authority” had told President Carter that the first residents of the embassy had the highest incidence of cancer of any group of people in the world." [Note: According to Paul Brodeur, Zbigniew Brzezinski told him the same thing in March, 1976. "The Zapping of America," p. 129].

6. Also, in 1977, Stevens (38) published that a third of the diplomats and their families had shown abnormally high levels of lymphocyte counts in recent months. Although at first this was linked to microwaves, the medical authorities soon abandoned this theory, claiming that it was temporary and not a cause for alarm, and that this was not indicative of the development of leukemia. These levels of lymphocytes returned to normal 2  weeks after the individuals left Moscow. The cause of this abnormal level of lymphocytes was blamed on a possible parasite in the drinking water, or on a respiratory infection. However, as Stevens indicated in his article, there was no evidence that the Soviet citizens of Moscow had such high anomalies in the incidence rate as those that existed in the embassy. Stoessel’s death from leukemia a few years later cast doubt on the official American version."

7. "It is unclear why workers and relatives were chosen as study subjects when some of these relatives, including wives and children, obviously received much less exposure to the microwave bombardment."

8. "The authors admit that some medical records were never found, as the investigation was stopped prematurely due to the urgent need to publish the results. Recall that the investigators involved were under pressure to finish the report by a given deadline, and this led to relevant information not being included." 


IV. 1996 Incident in "a Hostile Country."

NPR published an article on October 21, 2021 that may be the first detailed reporting on a possible crossover link between Moscow Signal and Havana Syndrome.  Titled "Long before Havana Syndrome, the U.S. reported microwaves beamed at an embassy," the story led with details of a 1996 attack on NSA personnel on TDY in "a hostile country." 

Hypothetical Embassy in "a hostile country"


"
In 1996, Michael Beck and a colleague at the National Security Agency were sent to a 'hostile country' on a brief assignment. After being detained at the airport for about an hour, they were allowed to go, but they knew they were being closely watched. A few days into the assignment, Beck woke up at his hotel feeling terrible. 'It was extreme fatigue and weakness. I was a bowl of jelly and couldn't get moving,' said Beck. He was suspicious of the cause, but the symptoms went away. A full decade later, Beck was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's disease at age 46. At almost exactly the same time, his colleague from that trip, Chuck Gubete, received the very same diagnosis. Gubete, who died several years later, had a family history of Parkinson's, but Beck didn't. Beck came to believe that his illness was caused while on that trip, and he filed a workers' compensation claim with the NSA. As part of the process, the NSA sent Beck a short but striking letter in 2014: 'The National Security Agency confirms there is intelligence information from 2012 associating the hostile country to which Mr. Beck traveled in the late 1990s with a high powered microwave system weapon that may have the ability to weaken, intimidate or kill an enemy over time and without leaving evidence,' the letter said. 'This weapon is designed to target the living quarters in microwaves, causing numerous physical effects, including a damaged nervous system,' the letter added. The letter also said that it had no evidence that such a weapon "if it existed" had or had not been used against Mr. Beck.


Beck, now living in Maryland, is still battling to prove his claim. The country he traveled to remains classified. But his attorney Mark Zaid notes that the NSA letter was written in 2014 — two years before the first Havana Syndrome cases were reported. 'Here we have an unclassified document from a U.S. intelligence agency admitting it knows of this before Havana,' Zaid said." [Note: Perhaps not coincidentally, an article appeared in Rossiyskaya Gazeta on April 12, 2012 on the same subject].

The identity of the “hostile country” is still classified, but Beck told CBS News in 2019 that the incident in 1996 that made him and his colleague sick occurred in neither Cuba nor China, thus narrowing the field of potential suspects quite a bit – most likely, to one: Russia. 

See also blog bibliography item 8A: "Havana Syndrome: NSA Officer's Case Hints at Microwave Attacks since 90s."

Postscript: On June 28, 2023, Courthouse News reported that NSA had prevailed against Beck in a lawsuit to release classified information on his case. The court appears to have disregarded NSA's 2014 admission that the "hostile country" had a microwave weapon that might affect a person's health. The decision seems to give weight only to the fact that there is no evidence the "hostile country" used such a weapon on Mr. Beck and not to NSA's original admission that the "hostile country" did indeed have such a weapon. I'll be interested to see the legal fallout from this.

I have a feeling this case is not over. See Blog bibliography item 72: 

https://www.courthousenews.com/nsa-prevails-on-ray-gun-foia/  


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V. Blog Bibliography: Havana Syndrome/ Moscow Microwaves.


A select bibliography of articles and interviews in roughly chronological order.

0. The 1978 Johns Hopkins Moscow Microwave Report 

1. Wikipedia on the latest unclassified information on Moscow Signal. Also, the latest information on Directed Energy Weapons.

1A. Wikipedia on the latest unclassified information on Havana Syndrome

2. Rossiyskaya Gazeta article of April 12, 2012 brags about how in the Soviet era "The USSR leapfrogged ahead of the United States in creating weapons that actually use "new physical principles," namely beams and rays directed by generators that are designed to affect the psychological state of individual targets. It is noted that many who used these generators died of cancer.

2A. Directed Energy Weapon Systems Acquisition Act of 2016.

2B. A Just Security article from August 21, 2017, by John Sipher, entitled "Sonic 'Attacks' on US Diplomats in Cuba: Don't Rush to Conclusions."

3. A Diplopundit article from August 29, 2017, entitled "Microwaving U.S. Embassy Moscow: Oral History from FSOs James Schumaker and William A. Brown."

3A. An April 25, 2018 article in "The War Zone" entitled, "The Pentagon Wants to Stop Marauding Vehicles with High-Powered Microwave Beams." "At its most basic, the concept is fairly simple. An array of microwave emitters shoots out a beam of energy that jams electronic devices, such as the control unit in an engine, effectively shutting it down...The force application type is small enough to fit on the back of a truck and could be used to stop a fleeing vehicle or to defend convoys on the move. This could also be useful for law enforcement personnel attempting to stop a specific suspect vehicle or a small smuggling boat. JNLWD says the present prototype of this system has an effective range of approximately 160 feet, according to Defense One." Comment: But I'm sure no one has ever thought of putting a system like this in a white van and using it on people. 🙄

4. A New Yorker article on Havana Syndrome by Adam Entous entitled “The Mystery of Havana Syndrome,” from November 19, 2018.  Very comprehensive for the time.

5. Armeyskiy Sbornik article of January 1, 2019 claims that RF/MW weapons "have significantly decreased in size and can be installed on a tank turret and even at the head of a tactical missile ... The [target] begins to hear non-existent noises and whistles ... When exposed to low-frequency electromagnetic radiation, the human brain releases chemicals that regulate its behavior. [The RF/MW devices] can cause symptoms of various diseases..." [Note: As of 2023, the Russian MoD has blocked access to the article. Luckily, however, I found this in San Clemente's unofficial national security library.]





6. A JAMA Study entitled "Neuroimaging Findings in US Government Personnel With Possible Exposure to Directional Phenomena in Havana, Cuba," from July 23/30, 2019.

7. A GQ article on Havana Syndrome by Julia Ioffe entitled “The Mystery of the Immaculate Concussion,” from October 19, 2020. 

8. A December 2020 report by the US National Academies of Sciences concluded that directed, high-energy, pulsed microwaves were most likely responsible for some of the cases diagnosed as Havana Syndrome. 


9. The Havana Act, introduced by Senator Susan Collins on May 19, 2021 and signed into law on October 8, 2021.

10.  A Guardian article dated June 2, 2021, "Microwave Weapons that Could Cause Havana Syndrome Exist, Experts Say." Sadovnik said that a device capable of causing Havana Syndrome symptoms could be relatively portable. “It’s quite conceivable that you can hide it in a car, or in a van but it would not work over a long distance,” he said. “You can do it through a wall, say, if you are in the next room in a hotel.”

11.  A June 23, 2021 Eric Heseltine article in Psychology Today that provides significant evidence Havana Syndrome may be caused by devices that are similar to those used in the case of Moscow Signal -- just much more advanced, much more powerful, and well-hidden

12. A BBC report on Havana Syndrome entitled "Havana Syndrome and the Mystery of the Microwaves," from September 9, 2021.  Generally accurate. The article also reports on comments made by Ambassador Matlock to them on Moscow Signal, including information that Ambassador Stoessel had threatened to resign over Moscow Signal, that he had leukemia, that Embassy spouses were worried about Moscow Signal because their children were in a nursery in the basement, and that the Soviets told him the purpose of the microwaves was to jam our equipment. Ambassador Matlock has denied to me that he said these things to BBC. 

13. An August 11, 2021 Article published by Polygraph.info, an organization owned by Voice of America, discusses Russian efforts to develop microwave weapons, as well as Russian disinformation efforts to deflect attention from this subject. "Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, defense ministry, top military developers and experts all have hinted at or boasted about electromagnetic weapons."

13A. A September 21, 2021 BBC report entitled "CIA Officer Suffered from Havana Syndrome during India Trip."

14. A September 22, 2021 NBC News story reporting that Pamela Spratlen the "Diplomat overseeing 'Havana Syndrome' response is out after six months." Ambassador Spratlen was widely reported to be unsympathetic to Havana Syndrome sufferers and refused to rule out the "mass hysteria" explanation of the symptoms.

15. A September 30, 2021 Buzzfeed story on the 2018 JASON Report, which looked into the theory that cricket sounds were related to Havana Syndrome, most likely by causing psychogenic illness. Long since discredited. The psychogenic illness theory is still, however, prominently featured as a Cuban and Russian disinformation line. 

16. An October 13, 2021 Andrea Mitchell interview of three victims of Havana Syndrome.  Many of their symptoms are similar to those noted when victims of Moscow Signal were being studied, indicating microwaves as a possible cause in both cases.

17. An October 29, 2021 scientific study of how the thermal effects of microwaves can cause traumatic brain injury (TBI)

18. A November 5, 2021 NBC News story entitled "State Department Names New Chief of Task Force Overseeing Havana Syndrome Response."

18a. The November 7, 2021 JASON report on Havana Syndrome. Basically denies the reality of Havana Syndrome, says cannot conclude that personnel are being subjected to high-energy attacks, and that only a small number of cases cannot be explained by other factors. In other words, circular reasoning: since there is insufficient evidence to prove for sure that personnel are being attacked, no personnel are being attacked. See items 15, 66. 

"Regarding adversarial intent, it is not possible to conclude at this time that the events reviewed by JASON are the result of intentional attacks that cause physical harm. However, it is not possible either, to rule out mechanisms that do not cause any physical harm but which might constitute harassment and lead to health conditions and functional disorders, for example through unpleasant sounds or pressure sensations. Given this, and in the interest of protecting embassy personnel and their families, it would be prudent to be vigilant against tactics intended to produce anxiety and trauma, with an intent to either disrupt operations and/or cause long-term harm The US government could minimize the effects of such tactics, if present, through open communication, education, and appropriate rapid medical response to any conditions that develop."

19. Peter Kornbluh's Nation article on Havana Syndrome from November 13, 2021. 

20. A One-hour November 17, 2021 interview with Dr. David Relman, the lead scientist on the NAS report; a number of useful observations.

21. The Accountability Review Board report on Havana Syndrome, originally released in June 2018, is declassified and released on November 19, 2021. The ARB report "faults both the Department of State and the CIA in their responses to early cases of the Havana Syndrome at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba. The report is also the first official confirmation that the CIA closed down its Havana station and pulled its operatives out of Cuba in September 2017. In the report, the ARB criticized the CIA for failing to share information about the health-related experiences of its agents in Havana in late 2016 and early 2017, delaying the State Department’s ability to react quickly.

"...the ARB faulted the failure of an organized response to the emerging crisis on multiple fronts, not just excessive CIA secrecy. The report found that “The Department of State’s response to these incidents was characterized by a lack of senior leadership, ineffective communications, and systemic disorganization.” Most notably, “The Board finds the lack of a designated official at the Under Secretary level to manage the response to be the single most significant deficiency in the Department’s response. To this day [June 2018]  no senior official at the Department has been assigned responsibility for leading and coordinating efforts to assess past incidents and prevent/mitigate future events. No Department of State task force was formed.” The ARB also concluded that Secretary Tillerson’s dramatic decision in late September 2017 to reduce the Havana Embassy staff by more than 60 percent and effectively shutter the U.S. Consulate appeared to have violated normal operating practice." 

Here is the National Security Archive release of the Accountability Review Board report

22. Washington Post article, November 24, 2021.   CIA Director Burns warns Russians over Havana Syndrome during Moscow visit Nov. 2, 2021.

23. An NYT article on developments as of December 2, 2021. 

24. A December 7, 2021 report in the Washington Examiner reporting that President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush may have been targeted by microwaves in 2007.

25. An NBC News documentary on Havana Syndrome with a short segment on Moscow Signal at 14:40--16:10 with me. Went live at 0400 PST on December 22, 2021.

Jim and Tanya Schumaker, 2012

26. Foreign Service Journal, January/February 2022 issue.  
"Before Havana Syndrome, There Was Moscow Signal." by James Schumaker (alternate linkhttps://afsa.org/havana-syndrome-there-was-moscow-signal  ) 

27. A New York Times article entitled "Most ‘Havana Syndrome’ Cases Unlikely Caused by Foreign Power, C.I.A. Says," from January 20, 2022 reports that an interim CIA report on Havana Syndrome throws cold water on the idea that some foreign power is behind Havana Syndrome, and now limits the number of unexplained cases to a couple of dozen, not 200 or so, as previously thought. The assertions in this article were walked back by the interagency redacted report (note 30) and CIA Director Bill Burns' interview with CBS Sixty Minutes (note 33).

28. Diplopundit archives on Havana Syndrome, January 19, 2022. [Broken Link as of 26 Oct 2023]

29. A Politico article entitled "Directed-energy could explain unsolved ‘Havana Syndrome’ cases, U.S. intelligence panel finds," from February 2, 2022, in which the Intelligence Community walks back initial press stories on the CIA interim report, and notes that some core cases can be explained by electromagnetic or ultrasonic energy, but not addressing the question of whether there is a perpetrator.

30. The redacted executive summary of the IC Experts Panel on Anomalous Health Incidents (AHIs), from February 1, 2022. Despite the blacked-out text, much is revealed.

31. A Washington Post article entitled "External energy source may explain ‘Havana syndrome,’ panel finds, renewing questions about possible foreign attack," from February 1, 2022, says some cases can be explained by directed energy, but notes that the question of whether a state actor is at work has not been addressed by the IC.

31A. A Guardian article dated February 2, 2022 entitled “Havana Syndrome could be caused by pulsed energy devices – US expert report.”

32. A WhoWhatWhy article entitled "Havana Syndrome is likely real, Feds admit," from February 7, 2022, by famed science investigative reporter Paul Brodeur discussing the similarities between Havana Syndrome and Moscow Signal. Brodeur is 90 years old, but doesn't seem to have lost a step.

33. A CBS Sixty Minutes program entitled "Targeting Americans" from February 20, 2022, reports on Havana Syndrome cases on White House grounds and elsewhere in the United States. Members of VP Pence and Bolton staff were affected. A white van was identified in the vicinity of one attack. Other attacks were described as well: diplomatic staffers in China, Vietnam, India, Vienna and Havana. One family, being treated for Havana Syndrome in Philadelphia experienced attacks in multiple locations. Most likely cause: pulsed microwaves (pictures of portable Russian microwave transmitters shown). Interviews with CIA Director Bill Burns, Dr. David Relman, and James Benford. Burns walked back the premature conclusions of a CIA report which said it was unlikely that a foreign power was behind the attacks. A coordinated interagency report concluded on February 1, 2022 that directed energy attacks were a plausible cause and -- in the redacted version at least -- did not rule foreign actors in or out. The CBS Sixty Minutes program was repeated on June 26, 2022, with some updates.

33a. An article from March 7, 2022 in Brain Communications, entitled Symptoms reported by Canadians posted in Havana are linked with reduced white matter fibre density. "A study of 16 adult Canadians who reported health incidents in Havana found changes in areas of their brains that were similar to those found in the Americans affected. The study was requested by Global Affairs Canada, the agency that oversees diplomatic relations." [source: item 66]

34. Foreign Service Journal, March 2022 issue. Regarding Moscow Signal, by Jon LeChevet. Retired Embassy Moscow Technical Security Officer argues that Moscow Signal could not have had adverse health effects.

35. A Washington Post article entitled "U.S. to give some 'Havana syndrome' victims six-figure compensation" from June 23, 2022.

36. An RFE/RL video from June 23, 2022 showing a Ukrainian rifle that uses radio waves to disable Russian drones.

37. An interesting Zeit article on Havana Syndrome, dated June 30, 2022. It covers two cases in detail -- those of Robyn Garfield, a Commerce Dept official stationed in Shanghai, and an anonymous CIA employee interviewed under the pseudonym "Adam," also known as "Patient Zero," who was stationed in Havana (these two were also interviewed by CBS Sixty Minutes.

Zeit also details the initial and wholly inadequate State Department response under Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. "When diplomats and agents are injured or even die in the line of duty, the State Department is required by law to launch an investigation within 60 days. But an investigation into the Cuba cases was only opened more than a year later, and then only under pressure from Congress. The results of that inquiry, however, were withheld from Congress, aside from a meager summary. Finally, a Freedom of Information Act suit filed on behalf of a Cuba victim in 2021 – almost three years later –yielded a heavily redacted version of the report [note: a fully declassified version was released on November 19, 2021]. The results can be summarized as follows: The State Department showed no leadership, was disorganized and communicated ineffectively. "No government official ever had responsibility for the problem," the report reads. Furthermore, excessive secrecy prevented the necessary exchange of information between the CIA and the Department of Defense, the report found. All of which meant that the United States State Department proved unable to react appropriately to the threat – a staggering verdict. [Later,] Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejected an investigation of the cases in China. Even today, such an inquiry has yet to take place." [comment: sounds suspiciously like what happened in the case of Moscow Signal].

The Biden administration has performed far better, but much remains to be done. There is still a lot of interagency confusion. Zeit notes correctly, however, that pulsed microwaves are still viewed as the most plausible cause of Havana Syndrome, and that the interagency report from earlier this year recognizes that fact. Zeit also reports that efforts by scientists to publish on pulsed microwaves are being stopped by the Department of Defense (presumably because they are doing such research themselves).

Meanwhile, the question of who may be behind Havana Syndrome is just as murky as ever. "According to a report in the New Yorker , the theory the government is currently operating under is that Russian intelligence agents are seeking to use the microwaves to copy data from the victims’ mobile phones or computers and that the physical symptoms are unintentional side effects. The State Department declined to confirm this theory when contacted, but did not exclude the possibility of "foreign actors."

Zeit also passes along reports that CIA and State are having trouble recruiting new officers as a result of concerns about Havana Syndrome, a contention State denies, saying that it has no trouble hiring. State, as usual, is intentionally missing the point. Applications for the Foreign Service are way down for a variety of reasons, so the pool of applicants to choose from is much smaller than before.

38. Six Secrets, July 8, 2022 "Havana Syndrome." Explores the history of Havana Syndrome and Moscow Signal.

39. At the Aspen Security Forum, July 20, 2022, CIA Director Bill Burns tells NBC's Andrea Mitchell that the CIA doesn’t believe that the Russians, or any foreign power, are trying “to harm US personnel with a weapon or some kind of external device.” Here is the full interview. The relevant portion starts at 40:29. Comment: Interestingly, Amb. Burns' denial is carefully nuanced. In particular, he does not deny that a foreign power may be using an external device for some purpose other than harming American personnel -- i.e., to snoop on smartphones or other electronic devices. This has echoes of Moscow Signal, where we knew the Soviets were using microwaves, but could never determine exactly what for, or whether there were health consequences for those in the path of the microwaves. In the case of Moscow Signal, it is increasingly clear that there was an active effort to suppress the truth. In the case of Havana Syndrome, however, initial efforts to ignore the issue under the Trump administration have given way to active efforts to get to the truth -- so for the victims of Havana Syndrome, there is more cause for optimism that we will find definitive answers to the questions that remain.

40. A Newsy story dated August 26, 2022, entitled "FBI agents in U.S. report symptoms from mystery syndrome." FBI agents are reporting symptoms that sound a lot like Havana Syndrome. This is ironic, since the FBI studied Havana Syndrome when it first appeared among US diplomats in Cuba, and concluded that it was probably psychogenic in nature (i.e., the result of hysteria).
"There have been double-digit members of the FBI, employees of the FBI, who have been injured in multiple locations inside the United States," [Lawyer Mark] Zaid said. "These are cases that have been brought to the attention not only of the FBI but also the CIA and the DNI and folks on the Hill. These have not been really publicized in any way. In fact, the reality is domestic incidents are being downplayed, if not outright ignored, by the U.S. government."
"Zaid says the incidents have mostly occurred within the last four years. The common thread he's seen in victims across multiple agencies is work related to Russia." [Note: Zaid represented two NSA employees who suffered Havana Syndrome-like injuries while on TDY in Moscow in 1996].


41. Washington D.C., September 13, 2022 - On the 5th anniversary of the CIA’s September 13, 2017, decision to pull its agents out of Cuba, after several operatives were stricken with what has become known as the “Havana Syndrome,” the National Security Archive today posted the first of a declassified documentation series on the “Moscow Signals”—a decades-long chapter of the Cold War during which Soviet intelligence bathed the U.S. Embassy in Moscow with microwave transmissions on a daily basis, and, in the late 1950s, penetrated the U.S ambassador’s residence with ionizing radiation. The records published by the Archive are among those being reviewed by a special, high-level panel tasked by the Biden administration to search for clues into the enduring mystery surrounding cognitive brain traumas experienced by several dozen U.S. intelligence and diplomatic personnel in Havana, and elsewhere, over the last five years.

Glassboro Summit, June 1967 (Dobrynin Gromyko, Rusk, Thompson)

On September 15, the second tranche was published, detailing
diplomatic negotiations over Moscow Signal 1967-77. There are several notable aspects to these papers. One continuous Soviet line was to lie that they were not beaming microwaves at the Embassy when in fact they were. They also claimed that the ambient microwave environment was well within Russian safety standards. This was accurate, for the most part, but failed to account for continuous exposure, and for the fact that occasionally Soviet safety standards were exceeded, with levels sometimes being measured at 13 microwatts per square centimeter (the Soviet limit was 10 microwatts, ours was 1,000). In addition, documents reveal there was an agreement in 1976 for Soviet and U.S. specialists to meet and discuss the microwave signals being beamed at the Embassy. The papers also show that press guidance started out as an effort to happy-talk the problem away, but gradually got more serious and detailed in response to AFSA criticism.

On September 22, the third tranche was published revealing that the Soviets exposed then Vice President Richard Nixon and his wife, Pat, to ionizing radiation during his visit to Moscow in July 1959, according to declassified Secret Service records posted today by the National Security Archive. 

The third tranche contains information that is of particular concern to those of us who lived for any length of time at Spaso House: the radiation discovered at Spaso House was ionizing radiation, as opposed to the non-ionizing radiation (microwaves) beamed at the Embassy. The radiation was detected at Spaso during Nixon’s visit, but it is unknown whether it was present at other times before or after. The radiation levels were highly unsafe – up to 18 roentgen per hour. A fatal dose would be 400 roentgen in a short period, and occupational safety standards in the US limit acceptable radiation to one-tenth of a roentgen per day. Several newspapers published stories on the third tranche, including this one in The Guardian, from September 22, 2022, entitled "Richard Nixon exposed to radiation on Moscow trip in 1959, documents reveal."

The Foreign Service Journal of November 2022 reviews the National Security Archive documents on p. 19, noting that "According to the archive website, the complete collection is currently being scrutinized by a high-level panel tasked by the Biden administration with investigating Havana syndrome, the mysterious brain trauma experienced by dozens of U.S. diplomats and intelligence officials over the past five years. The National Security Archive plans to post a larger special collection of supplementary documentation on the full history of Moscow Signal “in the near future.”

42. A Yahoo article by Michael Isikoff entitled "Top US Officials Cast Fresh Doubt on Sensational 'Havana Syndrome' Claims," dated September 14, 2022. It mischaracterizes the intelligence community's position, most likely not on purpose (see note 39).

42A. A Yahoo article by Michael Isikoff entitled "How a Soviet Plot to Beam the U.S. Embassy with Microwaves Led to a 'Brain Weapons Arms Race.'", dated September 15, 2022. Focuses on farcical efforts in the 1960s to do microwave experiments on monkeys, and fails to take seriously the possibility of actual health effects that surfaced later, although it does report Ambassador Stoessel's suspicion that his leukemia may have been caused by microwaves. A companion piece to the podcast "Conspiracyland: the Strange Story of Havana Syndrome," two of whose episodes focus on Moscow Signal.

42B. Conspiracyland: the Strange Story of Havana Syndrome, a five-part podcast released September 14-16, 2022 on Havana Syndrome, with two parts devoted to Moscow Signal.

43. A September 25, 2022 CNN special report on Havana Syndrome, hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta. One story focuses on a CIA doctor who suffered from Havana Syndrome. Here is the transcript of the special report. Moscow Microwaves are mentioned once.

44. On October 5, 2022 ADST published excerpts from Ambassador Hartman's Oral History. The Ambassador seemed to have a rather basic understanding of Soviet attempts to bug the New Office Building, but in one passage indicated that microwaves might have been involved: "One theory I’ve heard was the whole building was supposed to resonate from microwaves that were put on it and conversations could then be picked up." If what he heard was accurate, it would mean that the Russians were using, or preparing to use, microwaves against the US Embassy in the 1980s and after -- years after the period when most experts assumed that microwaving had stopped.


US Embassy Moscow 2000-Present (NOB and NEC 2003)                     photo: John Beyrle
                                                        

45. A CNN report, dated October 5, 2022, entitled "Dozens of CIA officers accuse intel agency of soft-pedaling its 'Havana Syndrome' investigation."

Quoting from the article: "As many as three dozen current and former CIA officers have gone to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees over the past year to raise concerns that a CIA task force has been soft-pedaling its investigation into a mysterious illness impacting agency officers and diplomats known colloquially as “Havana Syndrome,” sources tell CNN.

"The sheer scope of the outreach to Capitol Hill, which has not been previously reported, exposes a growing frustration among victims that the intelligence community still hasn’t gotten to the bottom of a mysterious illness that first surfaced six years ago when a cluster of US government personnel stationed in the Cuban capital city began reporting symptoms consistent with head trauma, including dizziness and extreme headaches.
"Among the complaints lodged by CIA officers over the past year is that the agency task force isn’t doing enough to run down legitimate leads that might expose who or what is causing these strange episodes."

46. An article in the New York Times dated October 14, 2022, entitled "Report Criticizes CIA's Initial Handling of Havana Syndrome Cases," which covers the abysmal response of the Trump administration. Many people with symptoms found it difficult to get prompt medical care during the Trump administration because “some CIA officials were doubtful about #HavanaSyndrome-related illnesses.” “CIA officials declined to discuss details of the report.”

47. "K Blows Top" (pp. 31-33, pub. 2009) by Peter Carlson, a humorous history of Khrushchev's rather strange trip to the US in 1959, and also Nixon's trip to Moscow a few months before.  

Carlson tells a story that parallels very closely the account in recently declassified documents, which revealed that Spaso residents were being bombarded not by microwaves, but ionizing radiation, and reported how Secret Service agents managed to stop the threat, at least for the duration of Nixon's visit. That Carlson was able to pick up this story and retell it in a humorous fashion indicates that it was generally known in Washington's national security community.


48. An article in the London Sunday Times dated January 22, 2023, entitled "Havana Syndrome: sonic attack or all in the mind?" (neither, actually). Does not report anything new, but the eight-episode Apple Podcast it introduces does contain much additional information ("The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome" episode one was released on Apple Podcasts on January 23). 


Episode 1. "Jericho." D
eals with several Havana Syndrome incidents at the Embassy in Cuba. I am quoted briefly at 26:37 (no context). 

Episode 2. "The Immaculate Concussion." Interview with Professor James Giordano, George Washington University, neuro weapons expert, consulting forensic brain scientist, ruled out poisons, drugs as possible causes of Havana Syndrome, acoustic devices possible. Interview with Emb Havana IT manager Doug Ferguson. In 2017. he and his wife Kate begin hearing loud cicada/mechanical sounds, experience nausea, and dizziness, they record sound, pain in ears, medevaced to Miami, diagnosed with traumatic brain injury. Interview with Johanna Tablada, DepDirGen for US of Cuban FonMin. She says Feb 2017 US CDA complains of attack by acoustic weapon. CubanGov surprised, will investigate, invites USG to participate, but only FBI accepts. Dr. Mitchell Valdez Sosa leads Cuban investigation. Cubans concerned incident could lead to new downturn in rels, esp because Trump admin hostile to Cuba, wants to roll back progress under Obama. Name "Havana Syndrome" already implies Cuban origin. Trump says he believes Cuba is responsible. Giordano believes Cubans not involved. Two dozen US personnel evac'd. Fall 2017 US expels 15 Cuban diplomats over Havana Syndrome. Canadian dips also experience Havana Syndrome beginning early 2017.  "Allen" learns US dips have same problems, are being evac'd. CanAmb tells "Allen" not to talk about it. Can has good rels with Cuba. Eventually, over a dozen Canadians diagnosed with TBI's. Havana Syndrome begins appearing in other countries, first dozens, then hundreds of cases. 

Episode 3. "Speak of the Devil (and he will appear)." Mating call of the Indies short-tailed cricket theory. Jason Group concludes recorded sound is of crickets, but such sounds could not cause TBI's. Jason concludes "it's all in their head." 1972 mass hysteria gas incident. Robert Bartholomew, a specialist in mass psychogenic illness. Says Havana Syndrome is mass hysteria. Matt Cooper, mentalist/hypnotist. Spinning key illusion. Placebo effect. Power of suggestion. JAMA MRI scans of Havana Syndrome victims. Bartholomew colleague Bob Bellow contests findings of brain damage. No scans before to compare. Big difference between brain damage and brain anomalies. Small sample size (20 patients). Cases spread with communication of the danger. Clearly, some cases can be explained as psychogenic.

Episode 4. "The Frey Effect." "The Havana Syndrome story is bigger than Cuba now. Cases are being reported on nearly every continent, so some investigators propose a new, strange theory. We wade into the science to see if Havana Syndrome is just the latest in a long pattern of attacks using microwave energy." Interview with Beatrice Golomb, UC San Diego School of Medicine. Expert in 1991 Gulf War Syndrome. 700,00 US vets and 44,000 British Gulf War vets developed health problems: muscle and joint pain, dizziness, insomnia, nausea, headaches, and exhaustion. The prevailing theory was that it was psychogenic and therefore easily dismissed (just like Havana Syndrome). Vets said that the worst thing about their experience in the Gulf War was the way they were treated on return. Their health problems were dismissed. UTexas researchers proved years later that Gulf War Syndrome was caused by exposure to Sarin nerve gas, released when Saddam's CW facilities were bombed. Interview with Linda Birnbaum, former Dir NIEHS. Brought in by State to do a similar comprehensive study of Havana Syndrome. Forms all-star NAS committee headed by David Relman of Stanford. NAS finds problems with psychogenic/hysteria explanation. Symptoms too severe (retinal bleeding). Other symptoms (balance, headache, nausea) occurred before victims were aware of Havana Syndrome.  Later global cases might have psychogenic component, but original cases that were closely held could not have. Golomb struck by fact that "sounds" were localized, victims could step off the "X" and the sound would go away. Also, covering ears did not affect intensity of sound -- indicating not a sonic weapon, definitely not insect sounds. Golomb concludes it is the "Frey effect," or a clicking hissing sound inside the head caused by pulsed radiofrequency energy (such as radar). She does a paper, briefs the NAS committee. Background on 1960s and later research of biologist Allan Frey on how radar can cause people to hear sounds inside their head. Some people heard nothing, some deaf people did. Range was up to thousands of feet from the transmitter. Some experienced headaches.  NAS Committee concludes that while microwaves are the prime suspect for Havana Syndrome, NAS cannot definitively prove the case because State delayed two years in convening NAS to study problem and by then data had been polluted by worldwide spread of cases and probable psychogenic factors. Golomb says worst part is genuine victims who suffer permanent disability and pain. June 2018 State Accountability Review (declassified in 2021) concludes that State's response was "characterized by a lack of senior leadership, ineffective communication and systemic disorganization," and that CIA had hampered investigation through "excessive secrecy that contributed to a delayed response." Interview with Frank Figluzzi, retired FBI asst dir for counterintelligence. State, CIA, FBI, DOD not sharing information. Interview with Charles Kupperman, Trump Deputy NatSec Advisor. Three NSC staffers hit with Havana syndrome in London in 2019. Response slow, inept, took two years to get them an MRI. No one in overall charge. CIA in particular was just hoping issue would go away. All agencies dropped the ball. 

Episode 5. The Great British Nuke Off. "We head to the UK to build a microwave device that could be the key to the mystery. Later, we take a deep dive into the American military-industrial complex to see what the future of warfare and weaponry looks like. Is Havana Syndrome just the beginning of something much scarier?" Interview with Kyle Napier, quantum optomechanical physicist. Building a directed acoustic or electromagnetic radiation device. Sonic weapon does not fit with Havana Syndrome effects. Pulsed EM radiation (microwaves) does. Tightly located beam in which one hears a sound. Takes weeks to build a crude test weapon from off-the-shelf parts. Hardest thing to build is the magnetron. Looks like Sat TV disc with a cylindrical waveguide in the center. Tested on food items. 120 microwatts achieved in target area at a distance of several meters. Easy to see how governments or companies could achieve far better results. USG is experimenting with directed energy. DOD Col. Wendell Leimbach. Microwave weapon = intermediate force capability (non-lethal). Can incapacitate soldiers without killing them. Active denial technology uses nonlethal 95Ghz radio heat weapon. Operational since 2007. Thor drone defense system. Kills drones with EM energy. Many other EM weapons operational. Leonidas advanced drone killer. James Giordano, George Washington University, neuro weapons expert, says microwave weapons consistent with Havana Syndrome symptoms. Current state of the art is capable of producing such a weapon. China and Russia are able to produce such a weapon. US can do this, but info is classified. USMC patent application for handheld device to deliver microwaves to a human target to produce symptoms of Havana Syndrome. US research on this topic is at least in the tens of millions of dollars.

Episode 6. A Silent Injury. "A CIA officer in Moscow gets sick, and his story fundamentally changes the narrative surrounding “Havana Syndrome.” We hear first-hand accounts of Soviet radiation that go back decades, and learn that the Cold War may have never really ended." Spy Museum, WashDC. "The Thing" on display (1945-52 bugged Spaso House Great Seal). Passive cavity resonator activated by microwave beam from van outside, returns signal that can transmit sounds in Amb's office. Microwaves used as bugging devices could be used to produce Havana Syndrome in similar way. Soviets used microwave radiation in many different ways. Name: Moscow Signal. Interview with Peter Kornbluh, National Security Archive. In 2022 the Archive published documents related to Moscow Signal (see note 41). 1953 microwaves detected at Embassy Moscow. Research on issue did not begin until 1960s. 1962 State sent team to Moscow to measure microwaves beamed at Embassy for 9-10 hours per day. CIA detects "shockingly high" radiation level (turns out sensors were miscalibrated). Pentagon commissions multi-million dollar investigation, Project Pandora. Testing on monkeys to see if radiation dangerous. Whole project largely a farce. CIA and NSA records on purpose of Moscow Signal remain classified. Moscow Signal continued into 1970s and 1980s. Problem got worse. Multiple signals beamed at Embassy were stronger, 15-19 hours per day. Interview with James Schumaker. (12:30-20:45) Served at Embassy Moscow 1977-79. Moscow Signal had been kept secret from Embassy staff until Amb Stoesel briefed in 1976. Everyone would gossip about Moscow Signal but no one knew much for sure. It was just part of life in Moscow, where everyone was being watched, bags rifled, etc. JFS: "I just did my job." Many, however, were upset at being kept in the dark, and on an anecdotal level there were troubling signs. Suspicious cancer deaths of Ambs Thompson, Bohlen, Stoessel at early age. Lawsuits filed by some Embassy personnel. 1978 Johns Hopkins study concluded "no measurable evidence of harm." Lawsuits dropped. But study was flawed. Long term impacts not measured. Data collected was imprecise, many did not work in target area. Schumaker left post, had high white cell count, was told not unusual for Moscow personnel (one in three had elevated blood counts), test every year with hematologist. 1985 diagnosed with CLL stage zero. "I've had some friends who've died from very strange diseases out of Moscow." Worked at other Embassies until retired in 2008. Issue faded for him until 2017, and association of pulsed microwave energy with Havana Syndrome. Growing sense of deja vu. Recognized worry and frustration from Embassy officials, slow and inept government response, dissent in medical community, press, WDC. The bureaucratic impulse to sweep it under the rug. The difference: low-level microwaves in Moscow Signal did not have immediate symptoms, but might cause cancer. Havana Syndrome may come from exposure to higher intensity short duration microwaves, which cause immediate symptoms -- Frey effect, trauma, etc.// end Schumaker interview. Russia is the chief suspect in Havana Syndrome. The elephant in the room. Interview with Marc Polymeropoulos. Former CIA. Advocate for victims of "Anomalous Health Incidents." Was Chief of Clandestine Operations for Europe and Eurasia as Russia became more active against US in mid-2010s. Dec 2017 first official trip to Moscow. Woke up in middle of night in hotel room, dizziness, headache, tinnitus. Symptoms steadily worsened after returning home. Vision worsening. vertigo, nausea. Doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. Thinks it could be Havana Syndrome, goes to CIA and asks for tests. CIA skeptical, not referred to Water Reed. Used up all normal and medical leave, could barely make it through the day. Retired April 2019. Fed up. Went public. Becomes regular on DC TV circuit. Always asked one question: are the Russians to blame? Marc believes he answer is yes. People affected in CIA are largely working on Russia. Becomes spokesman for victims who don't know what to do. A silent injury. People don't believe us. He wants accountability by the govt, treatment for all victims, and attribution -- this is an act of war and we need to figure out who is doing this. He thinks all roads lead to Russia, starting with the Thing, through Moscow Signal, and now Havana Syndrome. It's no different from other things Russia is doing -- assassinations, war crimes in Ukraine, etc., and it is sowing chaos as people in the USG don't agree on what is happening. Russia loves to seed chaos, and it's working against US national security personnel. But the evidence is still circumstantial. Questions: if they are doing it, how? And why Cuba specifically? The podcast personnel try to get visas for Cuba. Cuba may not just be the scene of the crime, but a victim as well, as the downturn in relations with the US has had serious economic, social and political effects. It takes months, but visas are finally obtained.

Bonus: Fresh Doubts out of Washington, dated March 1, 2023. "While we were crafting our last few episodes, some big news dropped. A new report from the CIA and other intel agencies found that no foreign actor, attack or technology could be behind the Anomalous Health Incidents, aka Havana Syndrome. Co-creators Nicky Woolf and Max Johnston sift through the noise to find out what’s going on." Nothing entirely new. Granular details for differing cases. Message is inherently skeptical. Victims not necessarily surprised, but feel hurt and betrayed. Victims still believe that they were affected by intelligence operations and directed energy weapons. No specifics due to sources and methods. Hope by DNI is that this assessment will give story some closure. Don't think that this will necessarily happen. Our story will not change, because these weapons exist and do cause AHI symptoms. Reality is much more complicated than this assessment lays out. Moscow Signal lawsuits and how they were deait with could be a template. Timing of report re Brazen episodes dropping is interesting.

Episode 7. The Two Exits. March 5, 2023. "Host Nicky Woolf goes to the scenes of the alleged crime in Cuba where we find “the sound” and see the human impact of the Havana Syndrome story. The US Embassy has reopened just as Cubans leave the island en masse." Cuban police, plainclothesmen, deployed around the US Embassy. Tensions "sky high." Two leading explanations for Havana Syndrome: (1) effects of intel op, or (2) psychogenic. Doug Ferguson, recall descript of cricket/mechanical sound on back patio. US housing in Miramar, huge houses, walled compounds, some guarded. Not American suburbia at all. Then podcasters hear the sound. Extremely loud, goes off, then back on. Turns out to be crickets, according to Cubans accompanying podcasters. Definitely not the Frey Effect. But cricket sounds cannot cause symptoms like bleeding retinas or jerky eye movements. (my conclusion: cricket sounds have nothing to do with whatever was happening to Havana victims -- just coincidental in time of occurrence). Meeting with Johanna Tablada, Cuban Foreign Ministry. Her message: no attack took place here. No reason to suspect American victims are not sincere, but every reason to suspect Pompeo, Rubio, Trump admin politicians of lack of integrity, desire to punish Cuba, hurt relations with US. Interview with Raul Rodriguez, Dir Center for US and Hemispheric Studies. Cuban gov saw opportunity to improve rels under Obama, no possible interest in hurting US dips, giving Trump admin excuse to downgrade rels. Havana Syndrome gives Trump admin opportunity to undo progress in rels. Since then, Cuban economy has nosedived and people are trying to get out. US Emb has opened up visa svc for first time since 2017, extremely long lines. US Emb on one side of park, mortuary on the other. Joke is park is named "Park of two exits," because you either get out of Cuba one way (to US) or the other way (in a coffin).

Episode 8. Hammers and Nails. March 13, 2023. "In this final episode, we answer our central question: What happened here? And we try to chart the path forward for “Havana Syndrome” victims."Interview with Doug Ferguson, who recorded Cicada/Cricket tends to conclusion that Havana Syndrome is psychogenic, since Frey effect occurs in head, not through hearing. But other Havana Syndrome sufferers could step in and out of the beam, indicating it was Frey Effect (RF) and not sound. Conceivable that cricket sound had nothing to do with Havana Syndrome, was red herring and would not cause observed brain damage (TBI). Subsequent research indicates psychogenic explanation cannot account for TBI's. Likely that observers came away with the conclusion they were primed to see. When you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Physicists see RF. Spies see other spies. Psychologists see psychogenic factors. Neuroweapons experts see neuroweapons. Neurologists see neurological effects. Politicians, esp. Republicans, see political enemies, i.e. Cuba. Trump administration used Havana Syndrome as a pretext to court Florida politicians and beat up on Cuba. Interview with John Bolton, Trump NatSecAdviser Apr 2018-Sep 2019. Bolton famous for extreme hawkishness. He is under sanction from China, Russia, NKorea, Iran. Iran tried to assassinate him. He is accompanied everywhere by massive security. Members of his staff affected by Havana Syndrome in London. Bolton considers foreign agents possibly behind it. Cubans would not be prime suspect, goes against their interests and they don't have the capability. But Cubans were punished anyway because Trump admin, incl Bolton thinks they are already doing enough other things to be punished. Obama-era relaxation of pressure rolled back. Since the most likely suspect was Russia, Bolton didn't feel that he would get support if he brought this up with Trump and told him we thought the Russians were coming after American personnel (!). (Translated: Trump wouldn't do anything against Putin). Bolton couldn't bring the hammer down, and so the bureaucracy dragged its feet. Each agency did something different, uncoordinated. Then, in March 2023 -- the ODNI assessment concluding RF weapon and foreign actors very unlikely. Neuroweapons expert Jim Giordano says Washington Post overstated its ambiguous conclusions which were at the very least curious, and at the most, suspect. Marc Polymeropoulos calls ODNI assessment "verbal diarrhea." There is a big difference beween what was briefed by the DNI and what was actually in the assessment. Messianic zeal of the analysts' conclusions never happens in the intel community. DoD is not on board. White House declines to comment. Woolf: "Doesn't feel particularly conclusive to me." Woolf: Likely that psychogenic factors increase as case reports spread. But Woolf finds pulsed RF as cause of legitimate AHI's credible. Scientifically doable, RF weapons do exist. But is it likely? We know Russia has deployed similar tech against US (Embassy Moscow James Schumaker is quoted). Woolf concludes that it is likely that RF devices have been used in some cases to cause Havana Syndrome. So far, however, there is no provable instance of an RF attack -- UNTIL NOW.
Interview with Ken Jones, retired from FBI 2017. He had a known RF attack. In 2009, Ken was posted to an Embassy overseas (language: Russian, country: former Soviet state). 2011, Ken arrives at Embassy and tries to sign in to computer, but secure network is down. Told by another agency that a neighboring country is seeking to snoop or disrupt secure link. RF attack. Ken begins to suffer AHI symptoms at work: intense headache, dizzy, fatigued, nauseated, ringing in ears. For years after, didn't link RF attack to symptoms. Then he heard about Havana Syndrome, requested medical evaluation. FBI drags its feet. Finally, in 2023, on verge of getting referral by DoD to get checked for AHI. He has been suffering AHI symptoms for past ten years. Ken says other FBI agents have reported similar symptoms. Obviously, since Ken's case predated all information about Havana Syndrome, psychogenic cause is excluded. Important: "In 2011, US intel agencies knew enought even back then to tell Ken explicitly that RF energy was being deployed against the US Embassy by a foreign actor." This pokes another hole in the DNI report, since they only looked at cases after 2016. How many others are out there like Ken? Interview with David Day, owner of NEUCOA Clinic in Virginia Beach, maps and treats brain injuries. Treats military and AHI patients, including Marc Polymeropoulos. Marc: Pharmaceuticals and steroid injections didn't work. NEUCOA's magnetic e-resonance therapy (MeRT) does help. Marc was injured by directed energy. Now he is being healed with directed energy. With reports like the recent ODNI assessment, Marc and others are unlikely to ever know for sure what happened to them. Their claims will continue to be dismissed, just like the victims of Moscow Signal, Gulf War Syndrome. Speaks to the enormous negligence of the agencies responsible for their care. All they can do is carry on. I don't think we've heard the last of them.

This podcast is highly recommended. 

49. A multi-part Vice podcast on Havana Syndrome. Part six, "If There's a 'There' There," dated  January 23, 2023, discusses Moscow Signal and its possible relationship to Havana Syndrome. Ambassador Matlock
comments (not particularly informative), Isabel Howe (1988?) comments (Embassy spouse), Kissinger-Dobrynin 1975 call detailed. Cheryl Rofer (Los Alamos) comments on microwave power (she didn't work on such projects, however),  Doug Beeson (Air Force physicist) thinks there are microwave weapons. Mark Zaid, NSA lawyer says NSA has admitted microwave weapon exists. Bolton, Kupperman, Pottinger. Chris Miller A/Sec DOD talks about Fall 2020 employee "being on the X" with GRU car nearby. Marc Polymeropoulos Moscow incident. National Academy of Sciences study ID's Russia and pulsed microwave energy. Miller remarks are the only new information. Miller: "The breadcrumbs are there."


Comment:
It would be useful to see the actual intelligence assessment and the background information on which it is based. Absent that, I feel constrained to point out an obvious logical flaw in the assessment's conclusions.
What the report appears to say is that since we don't know what causes Havana Syndrome, directed energy weapons or a foreign adversary cannot possibly be the cause. I would say that we need to keep digging in order to find out the truth. There is too much smoke here for there not to be a fire.
Three other things stand out.
First, the assessment appears to say that there are no energy weapons capable of causing Havana Syndrome. And yet, other scientific experts say that such weapons do exist, and there are even reports of a USMC patent pending for a handheld directed energy device.
Second, The Russian angle needs to be further analyzed. The Russians have a long history of directing microwaves at American officials, dating back to 1945, and are very advanced in this technology.
Bill Burns
Third, the sudden disappearance of new Havana Syndrome cases coincides with the visit of CIA Director Bill Burns to Moscow in November 2021, during which he "delivered a confidential warning to Russia’s top intelligence services that they will face “consequences” if they are behind the string of mysterious health incidents known as “Havana Syndrome.”

51. ODNI issued an unclassified version of their Havana Syndrome assessment which is very useful. Updated Assessment of Anomalous Health Incidents, March 1, 2023.

Its conclusions are a bit deceptive, however. The range of unlikely/low confidence to highly unlikely/high confidence assessments works out to a one in four or one in five chance that some AHI's were caused by foreign actors, not a blanket conclusion that foreign actors or weapons were not involved.

In addition, no differentiation is made between early cases, when there was no widespread awareness of Havana Syndrome, and later cases, where psychogenic factors probably played a role.

The fact is that not finding direct evidence of foreign actors or weapons does not mean that none were involved, unless another cause for Havana Syndrome has been discovered. None has been discovered as of now.

I also think it highly suspicious that new cases of Havana Syndrome stopped appearing right after CIA Director Bill Burns warned the Russians in November, 2021. It was as if somebody switched off a light. https://www.odni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Updated_Assessment_of_Anomalous_Health_Incidents.pdf?fbclid=IwAR01288ExmrI6hsKRIR3vmMarAKJ4z9aYbdBXetsMp7tQ9M_2b9BtdkDlPY

52. AFSA Statement on ODNI Anomalous Health Incident Assessment, dated March 1, 2023. In part, "AFSA does not possess the qualifications to refute or agree with the report’s findings, and remains solely concerned about the welfare of its members. We further note that this assessment does nothing to affect the commitment of the State Department and all impacted government agencies to ensure that their employees receive the medical treatment they need."

53. A Politico article entitled "The 'Havana Syndrome' Report Hasn't Convinced Everyone," dated March 1, 2023. "Mark S. Zaid, an attorney who represents over two dozen intelligence and government officials who have been afflicted with symptoms that they describe as lining up with the pattern of “Havana Syndrome,” is not at all convinced that the ODNI report proves the case that there is no foreign role. He concludes that this is not the final word, it "is just one page in the book."

54. A Wall Street Journal article from March 1, 2023, entitled "Havana Syndrome Unlikely Caused by Foreign Adversary or Weapon, U.S. Report Says."

My Comment: With regard to the March 1 ODNI assessment, it’s hard to tell without having full access to the classified report just what it really says, but the unclassified summary gives us some clues.

 My principal concern is that the conclusions of the new report are a bit deceptive. When talking about whether a foreign actor is involved in Havana Syndrome, the agencies concerned expressed a range of opinions from no opinion to very unlikely, with confidence ranging from high to low. If you do the math, based on the chart in the summary it would appear that the median conclusion among agencies would be that there is a one in four or one in five chance that some Anomalous Health Incidents were caused by foreign actors. It is not a blanket conclusion that foreign actors or weapons were not involved.

There are many other problems with the assessment, but three stand out: (1) ODNI says neither Russia nor China has directed energy weapons that might cause Havana Syndrome, and yet Putin himself has bragged about such weapons. (2) The Russians have a long history of directing microwaves at American officials (Moscow Signal), dating back to 1945, and are very advanced in this technology. (3) reports of new cases of Havana Syndrome stopped appearing right after CIA Director Bill Burns warned the Russians in November 2021 that there would be “serious consequences” if they were behind it. It was as if somebody had switched off a light. This seems a bit suspicious and needs to be explained.

55. A Hill article entitled "Rubio Rejects Intelligence Finding that 'Havana Syndrome' not Linked to Foreign Adversary", dated March 2, 2023.

56. A Washington Post article dated March 2, 2023, entitled "Is 'Havana Syndrome' Settled Now? The White House Won't Say."

My Comment: With regard to the March 1 ODNI assessment, it’s hard to tell without having full access to the classified report just what it really says, but the unclassified summary raises some questions.   

My principal concern is that the reported conclusions of the new report are a bit deceptive. When talking about whether a foreign actor is involved in Havana Syndrome, the agencies concerned expressed a range of opinions from no opinion to very unlikely, with confidence ranging from high to low. If you do the math, based on the chart in the summary it would appear that the median conclusion among agencies would be that there is a one in four to one in five chance that some Anomalous Health Incidents were caused by foreign actors. I think the summary oversimplifies this into a blanket conclusion that foreign actors or weapons were not involved. 

We are also not told what possible explanations there are for the very real symptoms of many Havana Syndrome victims, although we do know that many previous explanations (100% psychogenic, the ridiculous crickets theory, poison, acoustic weapons) have all been ruled out. The big question: is there an explanation for legitimate Havana Syndrome symptoms that does not involve directed energy weapons? If so, the IC has not told us what it is.

There are many other problems with the assessment, but three stand out: (1) ODNI says neither Russia nor China has directed energy weapons that might cause Havana Syndrome, and yet Putin himself has bragged about such weapons. (2) The Russians have a long history of directing microwaves at American officials (Moscow Signal), dating back to 1945, and are very advanced in this technology. (3) reports of new cases of Havana Syndrome stopped appearing right after CIA Director Bill Burns warned the Russians in November 2021 that there would be “serious consequences” if they were behind it. It was as if somebody had switched off a light. This seems a bit suspicious and needs to be explained.

Marc Polymeropoulos said on Morning Joe today that now it would be up to Congress to carry on the investigation -- implying, accurately, I think, that the Interagency Community is tired of dealing with the subject. So is the White House. An issue like this is readymade for politicians to start accusing the other side of not being patriotic enough.

My own feeling is that the investigation will continue in one form or another until there is a real breakthrough. When that will be, however, no one can tell.

57. A Miami Herald Editorial, dated March 3, 2023, entitled "It's Hard to Believe No One Is Responsible for Hurting American Diplomats."

58. An article in Scientific American dated March 6, 2023, entitled "How 'Anomalous Health Incidents' in Cuba Sidelined Science," by Mitchell J. Valdes-Sosa, Director of the Cuban Center for Neuroscience. Briefly presents the Cuban government's view, which is that there is no such thing as Havana Syndrome. Timed rather suspiciously to follow closely the ODNI assessment.

59. A Politico article dated March 6, 2023, entitled "Pentagon still probing if a weapon caused ‘Havana Syndrome,’ even after spy agencies found no smoking gun.It appears that the Defense Department (and at least one other agency) does not accept the conclusions of the ODNI assessment of Havana Syndrome, and is continuing its own research into the issue. Speaking personally, I think the ODNI report overstated its conclusions and has left the most recent assessment open to being discredited.

60. A Julia Ioffe interview of Bellingcat's Christo Grozev in Puck, dated March 7, 2023, entitled "Surviving Putin." Here is the portion of the interview related to Havana Syndrome:

The C.I.A. and various American intelligence agencies put out a report concluding that they don’t think the Havana syndrome—or Anomalous Health Incidents—is the work of a foreign adversary or of a weapon. I know you’ve done some work on this. What do you think of the report?

I’m still agnostic about it. We’ve been working on this for over a year now, but the report itself does not look convincing to me, and I can see motivation where the Agency would be incentivized to say this. To me, this is not a closed chapter and we continue working on this.

What do you think those motivations could be?

Starting from the fact that no security and intelligence agency would want to admit that another security agency has outsmarted it and has unknown technology, ending with the fact that you don’t want to discourage new recruits or new applicants from joining your service by recognizing there’s such a threat.

Do you think the threat is actually real?

As I said, I’m agnostic, but it’s hard to discard something that has happened to so many people, to adults, children, and animals. Especially the latter two categories have a hard time faking it.

61. A Politico article dated March 10, 2023, entitled "The Time Russians Really Did Target Americans with Microwaves," by Casey Michel. "There’s a reason so many diplomats and CIA operatives think Havana Syndrome is real. It’s because it’s happened before — and the Kremlin got away with it." Features documents recently published by National Security Archives and an interview with James Schumaker (Embassy Moscow 1977-79).

62. A Politico article dated March 9, 2023, entitled "Pentagon is funding experiments on animals to recreate 'Havana Syndrome'", by Lara Seligman. "The Defense Department is funding experiments on animals to determine if radio frequency waves could be the source of the mysterious ailment referred to as “Havana Syndrome” that has afflicted hundreds of U.S. government personnel in recent years, according to public documents and three people familiar with the effort."

63. A Guardian article, dated March 13, 2023, entitled "John Bolton Chose Not to Brief Trump on Havana Syndrome Suspicion."

"Donald Trump’s third national security adviser, John Bolton, did not brief the president on suspicions Russia might be behind mysterious “Havana syndrome” attacks on US diplomats because he did not think Trump would support him.

“Since our concern was that one of the perpetrators – maybe the perpetrator – was Russia,” Bolton said, “we didn’t feel we would get support from President Trump if we said, ‘We think the Russians are coming after American personnel.’”

"Bolton makes the startling admission in an interview for an episode of a podcast, The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome, hosted by the former Guardian journalist Nicky Woolf and released on Monday."

Note: here is a link for part 8 of the podcast, the final episode of the series. The entire series is worth a listen. 

64. Cipher Brief podcast dated March 10, 2023. Interview with Marc Polymeropoulos. "What I Know about Havana Syndrome." ODNI assessment uses questionable methodology. DoD has low confidence in the report. No peer review. Neither Marc nor others he knows were interviewed by the assessment team. Bill Burns deserves a lot of credit for accountability. He has no control over the assessment team analysts. Tells his story. Without getting into details, he knows many, many officers who were "tip of the spear" but are now incapacitated. Failure to find evidence does not mean nothing happened, especially in "denied areas." Institutional bias (recruiting, assignments) to make this go away. Antagonism between Agency Task Force and victims of Havana Syndrome. Agency initially treated victims very badly. Core group of two dozen unexplained TBI cases is unexplained. Agency did callout for any "headache" cases, so naturally got a lot of reports that were not Havana Syndrome. Thank goodness DOD and Walter Reed are not in agreement with ODNI. We will solve this mystery in the open source world. Bellingcat solved Skripal, could do the same with Havana Syndrome because they use more effective techniques. CIA is shutting down its investigative unit and investigation is transferred to DOD. Marc is getting compensation for life  due to Havana Syndrome. Marc thinks the Russians are behind Havana Syndrome. Likely it's directed energy. Past Russian history of using directed energy. Also, some Russian intel travel patterns are suspicious. ODNI should have said no conclusive evidence yet, we should keep going -- not that there is no evidence so investigation is closed. What if we did solve Havana Syndrome? It would be an act of war, would have to be robust response. NSC is very good. CIA bad (with exception of Bill Burns, who tore down denialist CIA office of medical services). State was dismissive, now leading on compensation. DoD is continuing the investigation. Government dysfunction. Washington Post got the ODNI story first, were captured by denialist sources, wrote bad headline. Congressional oversight will review ODNI report. We may need a CI breakthrough, Russian intelligence defector, to get to the bottom of this mystery. 

65. An article in Gizmodo from March 28 entitled "Newly-Declassified Report Contradicts Officials, Suggests Havana Syndrome Might Be Caused by Directed Energy.  A recently declassified version of an Intelligence Community report from September 2022 appears to contradict the conclusions of the "updated" unclassified version of the IC report published six months later in March 2023, and points to directed energy as the probable cause of Havana Syndrome. The March 2023 report is an update of an earlier report in January 2022, and appears to skip over the September 2022 classified report. It's all very confusing. This looks suspicious, to say the least.

66. An article in the Miami Herald from April 26, 2023 entitled "'Knife in the Back.' Havana Syndrome victims dispute report dismissing their cases." 

This is a good article. It also has information that is new to me, noting that the March 2023 Intelligence Community's report on Havana Syndrome relied heavily on a November 7, 2021 JASON report that employed circular reasoning to deny that Havana Syndrome might be caused by directed energy attacks [see item 18a].

While couched in scientific terms, I believe that the conclusions of the report are overdrawn. Havana Syndrome victims have good reason to believe that the true causes of their condition are being papered over for geopolitical reasons, as well as concerns about being able to staff overseas posts, even though they are, at least, getting the treatment they need. A CIA doctor also notes that an additional possible reason the report seeks to minimize the serious political and medical issues raised by Havana Syndrome is the desire of certain agencies to dilute the results, "as they were involved in the premature decisions to ignore the medical complaints."

It should be noted that there was an earlier JASON report written in 2018 that concluded cricket sounds probably caused Havana Syndrome. That conclusion was, of course, ludicrous. [See item 15]

Quotes from the article:

“This is a very dangerous report that represents the worst type of science possible,” a scientist familiar with the Havana Syndrome cases told the Herald. He asked not to be named because he was not authorized to discuss the subject. “They were very indiscriminate in who they included as a possible victim. When you include individuals who may or may not have been affected, you don’t get an accurate view of those who were truly affected.” 

"The scientist pointed out that the data was sometimes collected years after the person was affected. “The report sounds authoritative, which is unwise because the science is very suspect, if not totally wrong,” the scientist said. “And in some ways, it disenfranchises or discounts the truly affected individuals who are truly suffering. I think it was done entirely with political motivation.” 

"The March intelligence assessment relies heavily on a 2021 report written by JASON [JFS note: see item 18a], a group of elite scientists that advises the U.S. government, to cast doubt on the original clinical findings by two independent teams of medical experts at the University of Miami and the University of Pennsylvania. Those teams were asked by the CIA and the U.S. State Department to test and treat American diplomats, CIA officials and family members stationed in Havana.

"The Miami team found that some victims had a unique pattern of balance and cognitive dysfunctions linked to abnormalities in the inner ear. The Pennsylvania team concluded that about two dozen Americans suffered from mild traumatic brain injury, similar to a concussion, even though none had suffered a blow to the head. 

"In a later study in 2019, the UPenn doctors found the group had specific changes in their brains. Both teams strongly opposed theories that the injuries were psychosomatic, as an earlier FBI report and the Cuban government had suggested. 

"Two other teams of experts — one from the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine that published its findings in 2020, as well as a panel convened by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the CIA in 2021 to investigate potential causes — also agreed with the early medical findings that the symptoms associated with Havana Syndrome pointed towards a new medical disorder. 

"But the authors of the March intelligence assessment paraphrased language from the JASON report to claim that while the initial studies concluded that the health incidents represented “a novel medical syndrome or consistent pattern of injuries similar to traumatic brain injury, a combination of medical and academic critiques pointed to methodological limitations in that work.”

"The CIA doctor who was affected in the Havana Capri Hotel incident said he believes that some of the participating intelligence agencies behind the March assessment “had an interest in diluting the results, as they were involved in the premature decisions to ignore the medical complaints. “The impact of the relentless impugning of the Havana group’s integrity and motivation has had serious impacts on their well-being,” he added, noting the group had passed extensive medical and psychological tests."

67. Foreign Service Journal, May 2023, page 16. "Havana Syndrome Cause Remains a Mystery." Reports on controversial March 1, 2023 IC report on Havana Syndrome [see note 51], Politico interview of James Schumaker on Moscow Microwaves and Havana Syndrome [see note 61], and Guardian Journalist Nicky Woolf podcast on Havana Syndrome, including interviews with Schumaker and retired CIA Officer Mark Polymeropoulos in part 6 [A Silent Injury] [see note 48].

68. The Intelligencer, Journal of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, Vol. 28, Winter-Spring 2023, "The Mysteries and Realities of the Havana Syndrome: It's the Russians," by Lewis Regenstein. The most complete summary of Moscow Microwave/Havana Syndrome cases in print, beginning with Moscow Microwaves in 1953 and continuing through suspicious incidents after the fall of the Soviet Union, and then the outbreak of Havana Syndrome cases in 2016 until the present day. Available for members only. 


Key quote: "While much about “Havana Syndrome” remains a mystery, as administration officials stress, there is more than enough hard evidence to conclude with considerable confidence that Russia is the main culprit responsible." 

69. A May 19, 2023 story published in "The War Zone," entitled "THOR Microwave Anti-Drone System Downs Swarms in Test." "It's also worth noting that while countering drones [is] the main objective at this time, HPM systems can also potentially be used against low-flying cruise missiles and even land/surface targets. (see item 3A)"


70. As an experiment, I asked ChatGPT to write a short history of the relationship between Moscow Signal and Havana Syndrome. For many, ChatGPT is considered scarcely better than a magic eight ball, while others darkly fear it is the next SkyNet. In fact, the short history ChatGPT delivered was pretty good -- if bland.  

The complete annotated document is available on New Bing at https://sl.bing.net/igQE43BuKYK 

Here is ChatGPT's answer:

Here is a short history of the relationship between Moscow Signal and Havana Syndrome:

 - The **Moscow Signal** was the name given to a **microwave beam** that was transmitted to the **US embassy in Moscow** by the Soviet intelligence from 1953 to 1976¹²⁵. The purpose of the beam was unclear, but some speculated that it was a form of **electronic surveillance**, **harassment**, or **experimentation**¹²⁵.

- The US government **concealed** the existence of the beam from the public and most of the embassy staff for a decade, until it was exposed by a journalist in 1976¹²⁵. Some embassy employees reported **health problems** such as headaches, fatigue, irritability, and memory loss, which they attributed to the microwave exposure¹²⁵.

- The US government conducted a **medical study** of the embassy staff, known as **Project Pandora**, which found no conclusive evidence of adverse health effects from the beam, but also acknowledged that there were **uncertainties** and **gaps** in the scientific knowledge of microwave effects on humans¹²⁵. The US government also negotiated with the Soviet government to **lower** the intensity of the beam, which eventually stopped in 1976¹²⁵.

- The **Havana Syndrome** is the name given to a mysterious illness that has affected more than 200 US government employees and their families at overseas embassies, especially in Havana, Cuba, since 2016²³. The symptoms include **cognitive and neurological impairments**, such as migraines, dizziness, memory loss, brain fog, and hearing loss, often accompanied by a **peculiar sound** or a sensation of heat or pressure²³.

- The cause of the Havana Syndrome is still **unknown**, but some experts have suggested that it could be a result of a **directed energy attack** using microwaves or other forms of electromagnetic radiation²³. Some have also drawn parallels with the Moscow Signal as a possible historical precedent or inspiration for such an attack¹²³.

- The US government has been investigating the Havana Syndrome with various agencies and committees, but has not reached a definitive conclusion or identified a responsible party²³. The US government has also passed legislation to provide **medical and financial support** to the victims of the Havana Syndrome, and to enhance the **security and protection** of US personnel abroad²³.

 

I hope this helps.😊

 

Source: Conversation with Bing, 5/30/2023

(1) The Moscow Signals Declassified - National Security Archive. https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/intelligence-russia-programs/2022-09-15/moscow-signals-declassified-microwave.

(2) Before Havana Syndrome, There Was Moscow Signal. https://afsa.org/havana-syndrome-there-was-moscow-signal.

********************************

And, because I know you want to ask it, here is ChatGPT's answer to the question: "Are the Russians Responsible for Havana Syndrome?" (complete answer available at https://sl.bing.net/fBfBVpjaRAy )

Havana Syndrome is a cluster of idiopathic symptoms experienced mostly abroad by U.S. government officials and military personnel. The symptoms range in severity from pain and ringing in the ears to cognitive dysfunction and were first reported in 2016 by U.S. and Canadian embassy staff in Havana, Cuba1. Since then, more cases have been reported in other countries, such as China, India, Vietnam, Austria and the U.S.123.


71. A June 13, 2023 article published in Popular Mechanics entitled, "What is Havana Syndrome and Could It Really Have Sickened U.S. Diplomats?" Also notes the Frey effect and Soviet use of microwaves against US Embassy Moscow.

It would seem that Popular Mechanics isn't exactly buying the story put out by intelligence community analysts on Havana Syndrome.

Lots of people aren't.


"The Soviet Union was known to have conducted experiments in using RF energy as a weapon, both as strategic weapons and against diplomatic personnel assigned to the U.S. embassy in Moscow in the 1970s. Individuals assigned to the agency did not report any immediate health effects but many, according to NPR, came down with serious health issues years later.

"One interesting coincidence regarding the attacks was that they began in 2016, approximately one year after the U.S. restored diplomatic relations with Cuba. During the Cold War, Cuba was considered a prized ally by the Soviet Union due to its proximity to the United States. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s desire to restore the Soviet Union and its spheres of influence are well known. If Putin felt Cuba might drift away from Russia, he might order his intelligence services to undermine the work of newly arrived American diplomats—in a way that doesn’t lead a trail back to Moscow.

"The Takeaway

"Reports of Havana syndrome slowed as it gained publicity, with the latest reported incidents happening in Geneva and Paris in 2021. Is Havana syndrome an attack created by a man-made device, a natural phenomenon, or a case of mass hysteria? If it is an attack, we have a possible explanation for how the machine works, a precedent, and a political motive.

"Whatever is going on, it is complex enough that U.S. intelligence agencies are unable to determine the cause—even as it happens to their own people." 

72. The Courthouse News Service reported on June 28, 2023, that: "A federal court in Maryland granted the National Security Agency’s motion for summary judgment on a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by a former federal agent who developed a rare form of Parkinson’s disease 10 years after he traveled to “a hostile foreign country” in 1996. The NSA denies having evidence that he was exposed to some wave-based weapon that could’ve damaged his nervous system, and has properly classified the requested information on national security grounds."

The court appears to have disregarded NSA's 2014 admission that the "hostile country" had a microwave weapon that might affect a person's health. The decision seems to give weight only to the fact that there is no evidence the "hostile country" used such a weapon on Mr. Beck. I'll be interested to see the legal fallout from this.

Here is the FOIA Case Detail: https://foiaproject.org/case_detail/?title=on&style=foia&case_id=34347 


73. A July 6, 2023 Washington Times article entitled "China's Military is Leading the World in Brain 'Neurostrike' Weapons", by Bill Gertz. According to the report that is summarized in the article, China is developing a microwave-powered neuroweapon that creates effects very similar to Havana Syndrome. Gertz has a track record of alarmist reporting, but while his conclusions are often exaggerated and ideologically tinged, they are usually based on a foundation of fact, in this case, a report, which on first reading appears speculative.


74. An August 8, 2023 Explainer by First Post entitled "Centre to Investigate Havana Syndrome: What's the Mysterious Illness Plaguing U.S. Officials Since 2016?" focusing on the September 2021 case of a CIA officer traveling with Director Burns in India.


75. An August 10, 2023, obituary entitled "Paul Brodeur, Journalist Who Exposed Asbestos Hazards, Dies at 92." In December 1976, Brodeur published a pair of articles in the New Yorker on the dangers of microwaves that included a long discussion of U.S. and Russian military research into microwaves and also Moscow Signal. The complete New Yorker article is available in this obituary. The Moscow Signal portion begins on page 90. Neither the obituary nor the Brodeur article are behind a paywall.



76. A WNYC podcast, “The Mystery of Havana Syndrome,” broadcast on August 25, 2023. Dr. Robert Bartholomew, the author of a book denying that Havana Syndrome is anything more than a psychogenic illness (his specialty), is interviewed. Bartholomew, however, has consistently disregarded all evidence indicating other possible explanations, and has never examined any Havana Syndrome patients. His views are therefore not credible.

 

77. An October 8, 2023 article in Microwave News, entitled "Paul Brodeur, the Initial Microwave Pioneer: Setting the Record Straight." Makes a persuasive case that the dangers of microwaves, particularly with regard to leukemia, continue to be disregarded and covered up by various governmental and business entities.

 


78. An October 16, 2023 article in the Kyiv Post entitled, "Ukraine Eyes Israel's New 'Iron Beam' Missile Defense -- Here's What It Can Do."

79. A November 19, 2023 article in the New York Times entitled, "The Invisible War in Ukraine Being Fought over Radio Waves." Focuses on electromagnetic radiation as a means of eliminating drones. Chinese analysis has indicated that Russian technology in this area is superior to that of the U.S. 

80. A February 12, 2024 article in the New York Times entitled "Congress to Examine U.S. Spy Agencies' Work on Havana Syndrome."

81. A March 18, 2024 article in the Washington Post entitled "NIH probe of ‘Havana syndrome’ finds no sign of brain injuries."

My comment: The Interagency Community clearly has an interest in downplaying Havana Syndrome, but there is too much evidence to the contrary, and this evidence cannot be dismissed with one NIH study that in effect found nothing. In Mark Zaid's words, "The absence of evidence is not evidence."

The tendency of Government agencies to deny the existence of unexplained medical phenomena, or to conclude that such phenomena are simply the result of "mass hysteria" is well documented. Look at how the USG treated the victims of Agent Orange, Moscow Microwaves, Gulf War Syndrome, Iraq Burn Pit victims, etc. Havana Syndrome could be another example of this tendency, and we need to continue digging until we have definitive answers to the questions that are still out there.

82.  A March 18, 2024 article in the New York Times entitled, "New Studies Find No Evidence of Brain Injury in Havana Syndrome Cases." The article quotes the authors of previous studies saying that the current NIH study is flawed.





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“The opinions and characterizations in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the U.S. government.”

Cleared for publication by the U.S. Government

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12 comments:

  1. We arrived in Moscow in 1993. By that time, the State Department had commissioned someone else (I forgot who) to do a study. It came out in 1994. Lots of people were unhappy with the results I agreed with requests from colleagues to review it even though I was not included in the study. My conclusion: the ENTIRE purpose of the study was to shield the Department from legal liability. While the updated study did not attempt to claim that Embassy Moscow personnel were healthier than normal, the study was carefully contrived to 'prove' that Embassy staff could not conclusively prove that their illnesses (and deaths) resulted from chronic microwave exposure or other factors specific to duty in Moscow.

    How did I decide the study was rigged? The 'comprehensive, 3-year study' eliminated everyone who had not been in Moscow for at least two full years (one standard tour at that time) during the study period. That meant that only those people who arrived after the start of the study and spent a full 24 month tour (not 23 months due to "needs of the service" transfers) were included. In other words, about one person in 8 or 10 who served in Moscow during the study period were included. That made for a very small sample size – a ‘red flag’ for statisticians since it is extremely difficult to pass standard ‘statistical significance’ tests with a small sample size. My suspicion was further aroused when I found that the researchers had first collected health data on everyone who served in Moscow during the three year period and only later decided to eliminate everyone who had not spent a full 24 months in Moscow. I had to ask myself: “why did that do that?”

    What the study found was that the incidence of cancers and other serious medical issues (particularly cranial hemorrhaging) was over three times the average rate for all Americans and almost double the rate for Foreign Service families who had done multiple third-world (hardship) tours. That sounds bad, but thanks to the decision to eliminate everyone who had not served a complete 24 month tour in Moscow during the three-year period of the study, the number of employees and family members included in the study was so small that even the shocking numbers revealed did not pass standard "statistical significance" tests at the 5% confidence level.

    Given the retroactive decision to exclude data from everyone who did not pass the 24-months in Moscow test, I concluded that the real purpose of the 'scientific study' was not to see what needed to be done to protect the health of FSOs and their family members. Instead, it was specifically designed to cast enough doubt to keep the Department from facing large legal bills. Not surprisingly, I later learned that there were a couple of active lawsuits against the Department.

    To this day, I remain convinced that the entire purpose of the study was NOT to determine if the Department needed to do more to protect employees' and their families' health. Instead, it was designed to make sure that the Department could not be held liable for illnesses people suffered as a result of their service.

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    1. Hi Ken and Nyetta

      As one of your contemporaries in Moscow (and Rosinka) from 1993-1996, I found you account of the "study" interesting reading. There were rumors of microwaving of the embassy but I thought it was either folklore or something which occurred in the distant past. In 2004 I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, an illness which essentially ended my career and took two years out of my life before I reached remission. I often thought about which of my posts might have brought this disease into my life. Was it the asbestos in the residential building I lived in Budapest from 1989-1992.? Or was it my assignment to Kiev from 1997-1999 where we lived in the shadow of Chernobyl? I guess I should have added working at the embassy in Moscow
      to that list. I made some initial inquiries at the medical office at State about the incidence of cancer among officers who served in central and Eastern Europe but was told there was no information.

      The good news is that I retired from State in 2006 and moved to France where I lived a happier and healthier lifestyle for over a decade.

      All the best,

      Greg Orr

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    2. Gregory, thanks for your comment.

      Delete
  2. Great article that brings back lots of memories from my assignment to the American Embassy, Moscow between 1977-1979. Working on the 10th floor, I was witness to the gentleman remove screens on our windows and using an instrument to measure the microwave levels coming from across the street.

    Also remember having blood samples taken.

    It was a great day when the believed source of the microwave “weapon” across the street caught fire and blew up one night…!!

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  3. Herman R - Northcott JrOctober 12, 2022 at 9:36 PM

    Being assigned to the embassy in Moscow from 1977 to 1979, I was privy to the “microwave-gate” issue.
    On a regular basis, I witnessed the gentleman remove the protective screens from the 10th floor windows and measure the microwave levels being beamed from the building across the boulevard.

    Blood was drawn by our local healthcare staff with no explanation.

    It was a great day when the floor across the street where the microwaves were being transmitted from caught fire one night and was destroyed.

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  4. James, thanks for your courageous and prolific work, please send me your email address so I can send you some info, thanks
    Regenstein@mindspring.com

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your kind words. Looking forward to staying in touch.

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  5. Excellent article. My father, Rollie H. White, Jr. served at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow from 1954-1957. He was aware of microwave surveillance and the Embassy was trying to install countermeasures to block the signals.

    Around 1978, now retired he got surveys from Johns Hopkins asking how he was feeling. Months later, he felt a sharp pain while playing golf. He was diagnosed with a rapidly metastasizing cancer in his lungs, bones and liver. He was dead within 6 months. He passed away in March 1979.

    Almost all of his colleagues from that embassy passed away around the age of 60 from some form of cancer.

    He was a cold war casualty.

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    1. Cam, I'm so sorry to hear about your father. He was most likely an early casualty of an undeclared war that has been going on for seven decades. We must all continue to seek the truth, no matter the obstacles.

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  6. Hi James, thanks for your great blog, the only one I know that givs us the entire Truth about Havana Syndrome.
    Do you know of any reported such attacks on Americans since DCI Burns met with his Russian counterpart in 2022 ? Do you think the attacks have stopped, perhaps because Burns threatened retaliation ?
    Thanks,
    sincerely, Lew Regenstein
    regenstein@mindspring.com

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Lew. Thanks for your comment. I know of no confirmed incidents since Bill Burns' November 2021 meeting, although there has been reporting of other incidents that occurred before that time. We must take into consideration, however, the fact that since then there has been no public priority on reporting such cases. One interesting aspect: the Russians appear to be cleaning up the paper trail. Articles on directed energy weapons are suddenly "forbidden" (see item five in the blog bibliography [ Armeyskiy Sbornik article of January 1, 2019 ].

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