Biden officials say the truth about Havana Syndrome is still unknown

The truth behind the mysterious illness known as Havana Syndrome remains unknown, White House officials said Friday, contradicting a new intelligence assessment of what has afflicted spies and diplomats over the past nine years.

On Friday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Issued an updated disease assessmentWhich greatly reinforced its previous conclusion that no foreign government was responsible for them. But the document, A Update intelligence community conclusions in 2023He pointed out that two spy agencies had, at least in a hidden way, changed their locations.

The White House noted the shift in a briefing with reporters, while the Office of the Director of National Intelligence gave a separate briefing that differed sharply in focus and tone.

It was a very strange note for the end of President Biden’s term. While President-elect Donald J. Trump regularly questioned the spy agency’s findings during his first term, the Biden White House has embraced the intelligence community’s analytical work. But on Friday, administration officials took a very different tack than that of their own intelligence agencies.

These incidents and symptoms were first reported in Cuba in 2016, and are collectively referred to as Havana Syndrome. The illnesses, which the government called anomalous health incidents, or AHIs, continued during the Trump administration and reached a high point in the first year of the Biden administration.

Spies and diplomats around the world have reported hearing a noise or feeling a change in pressure before experiencing a range of symptoms, including migraines, dizziness and nausea. Some symptoms last for years and are similar to those associated with traumatic brain injury.

A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive material, said the bottom line is that the puzzle remains, noting that the government must be open to the fact that “we don’t have all the answers.”

Administration officials stressed that some agencies are now opposed to the intelligence community’s sweeping conclusions. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savitt said the new assessment “includes a shift in key provisions for some intelligence components” and reinforces the importance of continuing research and investigation into these issues.

But an official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive material, said the general conclusion of the majority of agencies had not changed. They believe it is “highly unlikely” that a foreign adversary is responsible for these diseases.

The intelligence official said it was sensitive intelligence, not a lack of evidence, that led many agencies to that conclusion.

Officials previously said there were no communications or other information suggesting that Russia, China, Cuba or any other adversary coordinated the attacks. Some intelligence shows that foreign agents were confused by the claims of Havana Syndrome.

The two agencies that have changed their positions still believe it is unlikely that a foreign government is responsible. But they kept open the possibility that a foreign government had developed a new weapon or prototype to harm U.S. government employees, although one agency decided it was unlikely such a device would have been used.

Some people with Havana syndrome and their legal representatives criticized the findings of the new intelligence report and praised the White House for pushing for a renewed investigation.

Mark Zaid, a lawyer who represents many people with Havana Syndrome, said intelligence services continue to “hide the truth.”

“That the White House statement differed from that of the Intelligence Community, an entity said to be controlled by the President, speaks volumes about the lack of integrity of evidence underlying any conclusion that a foreign government was not involved in AHI attacks against Americans.” Mr. Zaid said.

Mark Lenzi, a State Department official who developed symptoms while serving in China and is still being treated for Havana Syndrome, said he believed pulsed microwave radiation, a type of directed energy device or weapon that can cause traumatic brain injury, was responsible. Diseases.

“The White House is absolutely right to be skeptical and dismissive of this false, biased, see-no-no-evil assessment,” Mr. Lenzi said.