“I got a call from the State Department in February of 2017, and literally, the call was, ‘This is the State Department, we have a problem.’ They spoke to me about individuals who began experiencing symptoms late in 2016 with ear pain, ringing in the ear, dizziness and cognitive issues.”
Michael Hoffer — Otolaryngologist at the University of Miami
September 13 2018 — According to three unidentified U.S. officials and two other people briefed on the probe, Russia is the main suspect in the U.S. agencies’ investigation of mysterious illnesses in American personnel in Cuba and China. According to NBC, the U.S. military is trying to reverse-engineer the weapon used to harm the diplomats. I was the first person to suggest that the mysterious illness may have been caused by “microwave attacks” and I still believe it to be plausible. But I also think that the US investigators are on the wrong track. In my opinion, they have the wrong suspect and the wrong motive. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
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“I don’t know if there’s a definitive answer yet to what’s going on. Somebody needs to get the bottom of it.”
Justin Sanchez — DARPA Director of the Biological Technologies Office
UPDATE (September 13 2021) — BBC News Security correspondent and author Gordon Corera [‘Russians Among Us’ ‘ and ‘Secret Pigeon Service’] has posted a weird piece titled: ‘Havana syndrome ’ and the mystery of the microwaves.
“Five years on, reports now number in the hundreds and, span every continent, leaving a real impact on the US’s ability to operate overseas. Uncovering the truth has now become a top US national security priority – one that an official has described as the most difficult intelligence challenge they have ever faced. ”
BBC News Security correspondent Gordon Corera (Sept. 2021)
Spoiler — Before you get too exited, I must warn you that this piece is hardly a serious investigation. To be fair, Corera tells a few interesting and new stories.
But the interesting ones are not new and the new ones is are not interesting, and some not even true!
This raises an obvious question. Why would a journalist — best described as the spokesperson of the UK intelligence agencies at the BBC — write this piece at all? What is the agenda here?
Corera mentioned the work of James Lin, a professor at the University of Illinois, on the microwave auditory effect, often called (incorrectly) the Frey effect.
In October 2017, I suggested than a microwave weapon — and not sonic attacks — may be the cause of the “Havana syndrome” and I discussed this idea with Professor Lin.
RELATED POST: Havana Syndrome & Microwave Weapons: Q&A with Professor James Lin [UPDATE 3]
Next, Corera mentioned the Soviet approach at a centre of scientific research in the town of Pushchino, near Moscow. Again, this is hardly a state secret. I discussed it briefly in a piece about Yuri Grigoriev.
RELATED POST: Two Years Ago — New York Times Journalist Lying Through His Teeth about 5G [UPDATE : Biophysicist Yuri Grigoriev dies at 95]
Both professors James Lin and Alan Frey visited the Pushchino laboratory on several ocasions.
Corera points out that the US was concerned Soviet microwaves could be used to impair brain function or induce sounds for psychological effect.
“Their internal sound perception research has great potential for development into a system for disorienting or disrupting the behaviour patterns of military or diplomatic personnel.”
He also remarks that American interest was more than just defensive. “James Lin would occasionally glimpse references to secret US work on weapons in the same field.”
Again, this is hardly a secret. In fact, I posted the original document on this blog
Next, Corera reminds the readers of the old stories regarding “The Thing” and microwave spying. Again, I have written about the work of Theremin long ago.
RELATED POST: Microwave Spying — Leon Theremin & “The Thing” [UPDATE : CIA Microwave Cavities on display at the Crypto Museum]
However, Corera forgets to mentions that the US IC has reverse-engineered this technology and is still using it in an upgraded version.
RELATED POST: Havana Syndrome — What Are the Frequencies Used by US Intel for Microwave Spying? [2019]
Corera has also interviewed James Giordano, an adviser to the Pentagon and Professor in Neurology and Biochemistry at Georgetown University, who was asked to look at the initial Havana cases. Again, nothing new here…
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In the end, Corera brings only one new piece of ‘information’ when he quotes Mark Zaid, a lawyer who specializes in national security cases.
“This is not Havana syndrome. It’s a misnomer,” argues Mr Zaid, whose clients were affected in many locations. “What’s been going on has been known by the United States government probably, based on evidence that I have seen, since the late 1960s.”
Unfortunately, this statement is both false and idiotic. This is simply nonsense because the technology did not exist at the time.
And by the way, the Russian always kept the level of radiation below the limits imposed by health standards in the United States.
Zaid and Corera simply do not know what a ‘misnomer’ is and they sure do not understand the methodology used to name syndromes.
A misnomer is a name that is incorrectly applied to something. (jellyfish, Koala “bears”, peanuts, strawberries, etc…) Just because, Havana syndrome events may have happened elsewhere or before is irrelevant.
Stockholm syndrome does not imply that it only occurs in Stockholm, or that it has not happened before.
Havana Syndrome is widely accepted by the medical community, and may enter the Collins dictionary next year. [Medical Definition of Havana Syndrome — Medicinenet.com]
The expression is also used by the US academy of Sciences. In fact, the online Merriam Webster dictionary uses ‘Havana Syndrome’ as an example of the word syndrome!
I rest my case. I simply have no idea why BBC News published that story as an investigative piece?
PS — The text is also insulting to some victims when Corera asks why would anyone spy on Canadian diplomats while not a single UK official has reported the symptoms.
For the record — The expression “Havana Syndrome” was coined by Dr. Ludwig De Braeckeleer and appeared for the first time in a story published by the Intel Today blog on October 3 2017. [Here is the tweet] Why would Wikipedia dispute such a simple fact?
END of UPDATE
“Is it possible and probable that electromagnetic pulse devices that would then be propagated either directly or vectored could do this? Yes, it’s very, very possible and very probable.”
James Giordano — Professor of neurology and biochemistry at Georgetown University
September 13 2018 — On August 29 2018, Beatrice Golomb — MD, PhD, professor of medicine at University of California San Diego School of Medicine — concluded that reported symptoms and experiences of a “mystery illness” afflicting American and Canadian diplomats in Cuba and China strongly match known effects of pulsed microwave electromagnetic radiation.
On September 1 2018, the NYT published a long article titled: “Microwave Weapons Are Prime Suspect in Ills of U.S. Embassy Workers.
On September 7 2018, the Pentagon held a conference, where they announced new research results, including what they determined to be the probable use of “neuro-weapons” in what they called the Havana Effect.
On September 13 2018, Sharon Weinberger — Yahoo News D.C. Bureau Chief — posted a long piece on the current status of the “Havana Syndrome” investigation.
In this article —Scientists say ‘neuroweapons’ were behind Cuba attacks — Sharon Weinberger provides a few new pieces of information regarding the on-going US investigation.
The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency — DARPA — is among the agencies asked to look at the Cuba issue.
Until now, only officials from the FBI, CIA, National Security Agency and State Department were known to investigate the case.
Neuro-Weapons Behind Cuba Attacks?
On Friday September 7 2018, the Pentagon held a conference, where they announced new research results, including what they determined to be the probable use of “neuro-weapons” in what they called the Havana Effect.
The Friday teleconference was organized as part of a study program sponsored by the Pentagon and titled “Probable Use of a Neuroweapon to Affect Personnel of US Embassy in Havana: Findings, Pathology, Possible Causes, and Disruptive Effects.”
A Pentagon official told Yahoo News that the briefing was offered by the scientific team for interested people in the Defense Department and was to gain “general knowledge” about their findings. “This didn’t have an operational element,” the official said.
During the call, Hoffer gave a broad description of his findings, and promised that published results would be out soon. “I’m going tell you that this data is all going to be coming out in more detail in a peer-reviewed publication,” Hoffer said. “That peer-reviewed publication is due out probably in the next three to four weeks.” Hoffer did not say where the results would be published.
But Hoffer’s results could result in deepening the controversy around the Cuba incidents, since he concludes that the symptoms do not match those of brain injury — as posited by another group of scientists — and instead could be limited to the ear canal.
“It’s important to know that that site of injury could be limited to the inner ear,” he said, noting that the diplomats affected appear to have damage to parts of the inner ear, known as the otolith organs, which affect balance. Injury to those organs can cause dizziness, among other symptoms.
The Yahoo paper does not appear to take into account the recent revelations made by William Evanina — Director of the US National Counter-Intelligence and Security Center — on September 5 2018.
“Another critical question — particularly one raised by Cuban government officials, who have vigorously denied any involvement — is why would anyone want to injure diplomats?
One theory is that someone orchestrated the attack to fracture relations between the United States and Cuba,” writes Sharon Weinberger.
But according to Evanina, similar events have occurred elsewhere — he did not say where — and the injuries caused to diplomats are believed to be the consequences of an intelligence operation.
Indeed, I strongly suspect that the primary purpose of these microwave attacks was to gather intelligence, not to hurt the US diplomats. The injuries are nevertheless very much real.
Evidence point to Moscow’s involvement
Russia is the main suspect in U.S. agencies’ investigation of mysterious illnesses in American personnel in Cuba and China, NBC News reported on Tuesday.
Evidence from communications intercepts has pointed to Moscow’s involvement during the investigation involving the FBI, CIA and other agencies, NBC reported, citing three unidentified U.S. officials and two other people briefed on the probe.
The evidence, however, is not conclusive enough for the United States to assign blame publicly to Moscow, according to the NBC report.
FBI and CIA officials did not immediately return a request for comment on the report. (…)
The U.S. military has been trying to reverse-engineer the weapon or weapons used to harm the diplomats, including by testing various devices on animals, NBC said, citing Trump administration officials, congressional aides and others.
Part of the work is being done at the directed energy research program at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, where the military has giant lasers and laboratories to test high-power electromagnetic weapons, including microwaves, NBC said.
Neuro Science & Technology as Weapons
On September 7 2018, SMA (US Department of Defense Strategic Multilayer Assessment) hosted a speaker session presented by Dr. Michael Hoffer (University of Miami), Dr. James Giordano (Georgetown University), Dr. Carey Balaban (University of Pittsburgh), and Dr. Diane DiEuliis (National Defense University) as a part of its SMA General Speaker Series.
Dr. Hoffer began the discussion by presenting the University of Miami’s medical findings from an examination of a group of individuals either stationed with the US Diplomatic Mission in Havana, Cuba or their family members.
All of the people examined experienced a loud noise or pressure just prior to and during the onset of their symptoms, some of which included ear pain, tinnitus, dizziness, and cognitive issues.
Dr. Giordano then provided an in-depth overview of the possible vectors for the otopathologic (ear-damaging) effects these individuals experienced, as well as the potential mechanisms and causes for such effects.
Next, Dr. Balaban presented a series of empirical studies conducted by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), which focused on the biological effects of directed energy.
He also spoke about a series of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) devices that can be used to expose individuals to electromagnetic waves, as well as an I-Portal® Portable Assessment System that can be used for neurological testing.
Dr. DiEuliis concluded the presentation by discussing how neuro-weapons present a diverse threat to a range of potential targets, and argues that neuro-weapons should be treated as “weapons of mass disruption.”
RELATED POST: Havana Syndrome — Dr Diane DiEuliis : “Neuro Science & Technology as Weapons”
REFERENCES
Scientists say ‘neuroweapons’ were behind Cuba attacks — Yahoo
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Havana Syndrome — ‘Neuro-Weapons’ Behind Cuba Attacks?
Havana Syndrome — “Neuro-Weapons” Behind Cuba Attacks? (UPDATE : U.S. agencies Suspect Russia)
One Year Ago — Havana Syndrome : Neuro Weapons Behind Cuba Attacks? U.S. Intel Agencies Suspect Russia
Two Years Ago — Havana Syndrome : Neuro-Weapons Behind Cuba Attacks? U.S. Intel Agencies Suspect Russia
Three Years Ago — Havana Syndrome : Neuro-Weapons Behind Cuba Attacks? U.S. Intel Agencies Suspect Russia [UPDATE : Quick note on the BBC pseudo-investigation]
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