A foreign adversary was most likely behind some incidents of Havana syndrome suffered by more than 300 U.S. national security officials since 2016, a House Intelligence subcommittee revealed Thursday.
The interim staff report released by the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence's CIA Subcommittee contradicts a report released by the Biden administration's Office of Director of National Intelligence in 2023 that said it was "very unlikely" a foreign adversary was behind the mysterious anomalous health incidents, although that report acknowledged some intelligence agencies had only "low" or "moderate" confidence in that conclusion.
The subcommittee report also criticized the intelligence community for trying to thwart its investigation "at every turn."
"After years of traveling the world holding meetings and hearings with credible whistleblowers and leaders in our intelligence community, I have discovered that there is reliable evidence to suggest that some anomalous health incidents [AHI] are the work of foreign adversaries," Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ariz., chair of the CIA subcommittee, said in a news release. "Sadly, the IC has actively attempted to impede our investigation, but we have nonetheless been able to gather significant evidence, and I have reason to believe that its claims of environmental or social factors explaining AHIs are false."
Beginning in 2016, staff at the U.S. Embassy in Havana began experiencing a series of medical conditions including tinnitus, vertigo, head and ear pressure, nausea, and cognitive difficulties, the report said. The conditions usually developed after the individual heard a loud, unexplained sound, characterized as "strange grating noises," according to the report. The symptoms lasted about 30 seconds or until the victim removed themselves from the vicinity.
The subcommittee said it conducted 48 interviews of current and former members of the CIA, FBI, ODNI, Defense Intelligence Agency, and the U.S. military, as well as nongovernment workers in the medical field and academia who either experienced an AHI, witnessed aspects of the intelligence community's response, or both. It said it documented 334 people who qualified for AHI care in the military health system as of January.
The report made three recommendations: overhaul the intelligence community's analytical process and demand it conduct a "fact-based" assessment on the matter; ramp up the collection of Havana syndrome anecdotes to gather more evidence for further study; and codify stronger medical care for those afflicted.
Although the report did not reveal specifics about which foreign adversaries were involved, Crawford said the subcommittee's work is not finished.
"This interim report is just the beginning, and our investigative work through the CIA subcommittee will continue until we get full cooperation and thorough answers from the IC," he said.