Hi readers!
Aristotle believes, “while fiction is impossible, it should not be implausible”. Which means a statement not seeming probable or reasonable?
Havana syndrome is true to type of example of this.
The word “Implausible” reminds me an article titled:
“Havana Syndrome” or a case for eliminating the implausible? (doubtful).
You can read this article at the following link
Jonathan Jarry wrote this article on October 9th, 2021, saying that, “Diplomats in Cuba fell ill. Some suspected a secret weapon”. Five years later, more benign explanation of the left over continues.
In late 2016 and early 2017, members of the American embassy in Havana, Cuba, reported unbearable weakness, devastating symptoms and strange occurrences. An injuring sound wake them up in the middle of the night with a feeling of intense sensation and pressure in the ear. Symptoms of headedness (state or quality of having a particular type of head or no head) and nausea were also reported. Affected people were unable to concentrate due to memory problem and sleep disturbances.
Members of the Canadian embassy called it an attack mediated by secret sonic weapons and microwave beams and started accusing Cuba, Russia, and China. The symptoms, however, were also reported from Austria.
Trip of U.S. Vice-president to Vietnam delayed in early 2021 because of an “anomalous health incident” similar to “Havana syndrome”.
The incident kept receiving intense media coverage for 5 years. Some called it “Wuhan flu”, “Indian variant of coronavirus,” or the “Spanish flu”.
What is Havana Syndrome?
Investigation into this started with the “unknown” (the spies) who might have poisoned the food of American and Canadian diplomate.
Then come the pesticides sprayed in Cuba to combat spread of Zika virus but, it is not clear why it only affected the American and Canadian diplomates and not the Cuban and those who lived around the affectees? National Academy Ruled this possibility out.
The sudden, loud sound and pressure felt in the ears of the affected people pushed the idea of a secret audible weapon which can emit sound waves below the threshold of what we can hear (the infrasound) but when people who could operate this device appeared non- symptomatic the option was dismissed.
Then came the “brown note” a specific infrasound that can trigger instant defecation or excreting feces. Upon testing the claim using massive subwoofers (a loudspeaker designed to reproduce low-pitched audio lower in frequency than those generated by a woofer) the fearful release did not take place even when projected at a thunderous 128 decibels (the range of a rock concert).
The focus then shifted to the spectrum that is above our hearing threshold which means the ultrasounds. The question is whether ultrasound used to see a fetus during pregnancy be weaponized to the extent that it can and cause damaging sound bubbles in the inner ear and brain? The answer is a Big NO because ultrasounds need close contact to propagate, hence gel is used for ultrasounds of pregnancy. Over long distances, sound gets weak and can be easily blocked by walls.
Light waves then considered the culprit, specifically the microwave which are lower in frequency than visible light and infrared, but above the radio waves on the light spectrum.
The U.S. military’s fifty years of research on this subject was considered a “wasted energy” or an exercise in futility in 2012 because, to power a simple microwave oven on the go, a 2,200-watt gasoline-powered generator weighing around 50 pounds is required whereas, to weaponize the beam, another ten pounds (or 200 laptop computer’s batteries) would be needed hence, existence of such a weapon would be questionable.
Focus then shifted to Allen H Frey’s “Frey effect” a situation in which microwaves, heard by humans as coming from within or right behind their own head. The sound was described as being a buzz, clicking, hiss, or knocking.
The fear was that Havana syndrome victims might have been shot by a secret microwave weapon and the strange sound they heard was the buzzing noise of the “Frey effect”. But hearing soft sound of microwave weapon requires complete silence which is not possible in the modern-day Cuba hence it was considered a beggar’s belief.
When the victims were seen by an ear, nose, and throat specialist, a mild traumatic brain injury was reported but without the actual head injury. Re-examination of these and additional victims in brain injury center of the University of Pennsylvania, revealed “injury to widespread brain networks” which sounded alarming and mysterious.
When a medical sociologist and a neurologist looked into this, exposure to an “unknown energy source” was speculated without any demonstrated evidence. Some of the diplomats were emerged losing their hearing because of this incident, but it turned out that only two had experienced hearing impairment, which predated their deployment to Cuba.
The scientific board reported to the State Department believed that psychogenic effect of the brain’s anxiety on to the rest of the body can play important role in explaining the diplomat’s injuries.
Medical sociologist and neurologist wrote book on Havana syndrome describing it as a mass psychogenic illness which is not psychiatrics disorders. Affected individuals are healthy and sane, but a superficial trigger leads to illness for which they blamed excessive weaponry and end up with Havana syndrome.
The subject “Havana syndrome” is an interesting items filled with unreliable information reported and repeated so frequently that it becomes a fact.
Joseph Goebbels must be laughing
David Bowie’s obsession with weaponized noise compelled him to suggest the term “sonic attack” in relation to Havana syndrome.
Robert Baloh and Robert Bartholomew wrote a book called
Havana syndrome: Mass psychogenic illness and the real story behind the embassy mystery,
in which they consider Havana syndrome in its context within which the syndrome existed in history that is related to sound, or to the sense of hearing, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event, or unwarranted accusations of state terrorism.
What is latest?
Byron Tau updated on January 20th, 2022, (https://www.wsj.com/articles/havana-syndrome-symptoms-11626882951)
“That in autumn 2021, CIA evacuated an intelligence officer from Serbia with serious injuries. Two American citizens were reported to be afflicted in Bogota, Colombia in October 2021”.
U.S Officials serving at diplomatic missions in Geneva and Paris were also reported to be suspected with one being evacuated to the U.S. for medical treatment.
A member of his team travelling to India in September 2021 reported symptoms of Havana Syndrome and received medical attention in US.
State Department and the Austrian government said in July that they were investigating possible cases in Vienna that had emerged in previous months.
The CIA selected an expert of hunt for Osama Bin Laden to head its own task force looking into the matter as lots of U.S. officials stationed in Washington may have been affected, including one who was reportedly struck while near the White House.
The leading theories as to what causes the syndrome?
Initially, investigators believed the syndrome was the result of an attack by a sonic or audio weapon. However, a comprehensive review by CIA concluded that,
“it was unlikely that any foreign power was behind the bulk of the attacks, though the agency said it was evaluating a small number of cases to determine whether a foreign actor was behind them? The CIA assessed that medical conditions, stress or other factors were the case of most cases”.
On October 8th, 2021, President Biden signed the Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks (HAVANA) Act, which authorizes additional medical and financial support for intelligence officers and diplomats affected by the syndrome.
In early November 2021, Secretary of State Antony Blinken appointed an ambassador to coordinate the State Department’s response, including securing compensation and care for victims. Mr. Blinken said the service of the American diplomats “often comes with risk,” including for dependents, and committed the department to caring for affected individuals, identifying the cause and the responsible party, and preventing recurrences.
In February 2022, a panel of experts assembled by Biden administration released an executive summary stating that stress or psychosomatic reactions could not explain some of the incidents of Havana syndrome and that radio waves could have caused some of the injuries of the CIA officers.
On March 1st, 2023, five of the seven agencies involved in investigation concluded that, “available intelligence consistently points against the involvement of US adversaries in causing the reported incidents”. One of the agencies, considered foreign involvement in Anomalous Health Incidents “unlikely”, and one agency declined to make a finding.
“There is no explanation for these incidents. Instead, there are many different possible causes including environmental as well as social factors and pre-existing medical conditions, malfunctioning of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC ) systems, which can cause discomfort to human.
“We weren’t finding what we expected to find. There is no one explanation for any of this”.
What a vulnerability Dear readers?
From 2016 till to date: seven years have gone and yet, no clue is available for what is HAVANA syndrome, when, where, and why it is affecting the “American Diplomates” at large. I believe, “where there is smoke, there is a fire.”
What do you think dear reader? Do let me know please.
Take care and I will see you next week,
Bye
