The mysterious Havana Syndrome, named for the location of its first reported cases, has captivated the American public since 60 Minutes broke the story in 2019. Around 1,500 Americans serving abroad in diplomatic and security roles have reported experiencing symptoms ranging from head pressure, ringing or popping in ears, dizziness, fatigue, and nausea to vertigo, migraines, impaired vision, and even memory problems.
Those reporting these symptoms have also claimed that their onset came after hearing strange noises or feeling struck by an unseen force. The irregular nature of the symptoms and their origin has prompted many of the victims, defense officials, and experts to conclude they are the result of some sort of secret weapon, possibly using microwaves or ultrasound to target the inner ear. However, there is far from a consensus about what and who is causing these cases. So does Havana Syndrome exist? And if so, should the American public be worried?
Despite first being recorded in Havana, Cuba, cases of Havana Syndrome have occurred all over the world, in hostile countries like China and Russia, as well as in Austria, Bulgaria, France, Georgia, Poland, Serbia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom in Europe; and also Australia, Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, Syria, Taiwan, and Uzbekistan. Meaning if a device is to blame, it is easily transportable and is being used throughout the world.
Officials have even experienced symptoms on U.S. soil, in the heart of the capital, most notably Olivia Troye, Homeland Security and Anti-Terrorism advisor to Vice President Mike Pence. Troye was hit with a “piercing feeling” as she descended steps within walking distance of the West Wing, which resulted invertigo, nausea, disorientation, and unsteadiness that made it difficult for her to get to the bottom of the stairs. She experienced a similar sensation about a year later, while walking to her car near the White House.
Although there are numerous compelling victim testimonies like Troye’s, many of whom are now unable to do their jobs as a result of their injuries, the U.S. government has been slow to validate concerns, saying in one statement, “Most I.C.,” or intelligence community, “elements now have concluded that it is very unlikely that a foreign adversary is responsible for the reported AHIs, anomalous health incidents. And there are different degrees of confidence associated with that. At the same time, we are going to be and continue to be vigilant about looking for information that undercuts those assumptions.”
Victims and critics have screamed cover-up, but a recent examination by the International Journal of Social Psychiatry sided with the “five separate U.S. intelligence agencies” who found the phenomenon of Havana Syndrome “was a socially constructed catch-all category for an array of pre-existing health conditions, responses to environmental factors, and stress reactions that were lumped under a single label. In reviewing the history of this condition, many factors led to its erroneous categorization as a novel clinical entity.”
The study further concluded that victims were actually experiencing a Mass Psychogenic Illness or MPI for short, which, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), is a “social phenomenon where physical symptoms (e.g., nausea, dizziness, weakness) spread rapidly through a cohesive group without an identifiable organic or infectious cause.” Essentially, symptoms arise that some attribute to an external cause, and when others learn of these symptoms, they experience them because they expect to. You may know it as mass hysteria, which has led to historical events like the Salem witch trials. In this case, the study’s authors attribute the spread of the illness to American officials’ fears of falling victim to foreign actors and new technologies, and American researchers failing to pursue MPI as a cause because those afflicted were perceived as immune.
This explanation is not satisfying victims or retired Lt. Colonel Gregory Edgreen, who investigated Havana Syndrome for the Defense Intelligence Agency. Edgreen now runs Advanced Echelon, which, according to PBS, “takes care of Havana Syndrome survivors and their families and works to pursue those responsible for the attacks.” In his words,
Edgreen agrees with 60 Minutes’ assessment that found Russia to be responsible for the Havana attacks, citing a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent who experienced symptoms after questioning a suspicious Russian national apprehended in Florida. This man, Vitalii Kovalev, was a military engineer before moving to the U.S. to become a high-profile chef in New York, something that, given his military clearance, would have been impossible without the blessing of Russian intelligence. After his arrest and subsequent deportation, Kovalev died under mysterious circumstances in Ukraine from “traumatic hemothorax and multiple fractures of the ribs” as if beaten, despite not being active duty military, according to a report by the Insider.
After both the 60 Minutes and the Insider reports came to light, both publications were given information verifying that Kovalev was a part of both the Glavnoye Razvedyvatelnoye Upravlenie (GRU), Russia’s version of the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Federal’naya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti (FSB), Russia’s FBI. This combined with 60 Minutes reporting that both a Stanford study and an expert in microwaves believed creating such a weapon is possible, and more recently, a test by a scientist in Norway, using a device like the one believed to cause Havana Syndrome, found that the device caused similar symptoms after testing it on himself, makes Havana Syndrome seem like a credible threat.
Havana Syndrome was first reported in 2016, but as early as 2007, First Lady Laura Bush noted an incident strikingly similar in her autobiography, claiming she felt like she “might die right there in the hotel room” and that “Nearly a dozen members of our delegation were stricken” during a Group of Eight (G8) summit in Heiligendamm, Germany. Clearly, this is no new phenomenon, perhaps further indicating it is not just hysteria.
Whether a case of mass hysteria or a secret spy weapon, the symptoms of Havana Syndrome are very real to the Americans who are experiencing them. Both causes limit America’s intelligence capabilities, and the latter raises questions about the safety of our leaders. If we are to ensure national security, the first step is to properly acknowledge these incidents and develop strategies to either limit hysteria or defend against further attacks, while ensuring the victims of Havana Syndrome are taken care of, so others are not afraid to serve their country.
Acknowledgement: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and not necessarily those of Our National Conversation as a whole.
