The first recorded episode took place at 1am in April 2019. A senior CIA officer on a work trip to London was roused from sleep by an excruciating headache that he rated as a nine or ten on the pain scale. Sweating profusely and feeling disoriented, he struggled to reach the bathroom before collapsing back into a shallow sleep. The following day, he arrived at a briefing unable to recognise familiar colleagues and plagued by persistent brain fog, balance problems and a high-pitched ringing in his ears.
First reported incidents in London and Warsaw
By September of the same year, the officer was on a separate mission in Poland staying in a hotel in Warsaw. He was again jolted awake by a searing cranial pain—described as a baseball bat repeatedly striking his head—and again rated it at nine or ten. Two hours later the sensation returned, prompting him to curl on the floor where the intensity lessened. Although the acute “attack” subsided, he continued to endure chronic nerve pain, fatigue and other debilitating symptoms for the next two years.
Havana syndrome and the rise of anomalous health incidents
The phenomenon soon acquired the moniker Havana syndrome after a wave of similar complaints emerged from Havana Cuba, where U.S. diplomats reported odd sounds, pressure, and lingering health effects. Within the US government and the broader intelligence community these cases were catalogued as anomalous health incidents (AHIs). Dozens of officers worldwide reported comparable episodes, fueling speculation that a foreign adversary—most often suspected to be Russia—might be deploying an unknown sonic or pulsed microwave weapon.
Government and scientific assessments
In 2022 a panel of scientists convened by the US government—chaired by Stanford professor David Relman—reviewed over 1,000 classified documents and medical records. The panel concluded that the signs and symptoms were genuine, citing the possibility of exposure to pulsed microwave energy in a subset of cases. The following year, an unclassified intelligence summary declared that “the available intelligence consistently points against the involvement of US adversaries,” labeling a Russian-directed campaign as very unlikely. That assessment was later withdrawn in the summer by the outgoing director of national intelligence appointed under Donald Trump who argued the original analysis suffered from selective evidence exclusion.
New book from CBS journalists
Two longtime CBS producers for 60 MinutesMichael Rey and Oriana Zill de Granados have spent years tracking these reports. Their forthcoming book argues that Russia was responsible for at least some of the episodes and accuses elements of the US government and the intelligence community of concealing evidence. The authors cite their early coverage of the 2015 diplomatic thaw with Cuba, the surge of AHI reports worldwide, and the contested scientific findings as the backbone of their narrative.
While the debate over the true cause of Havana syndrome remains unresolved, the combination of personal testimonies, extensive document reviews, and a high-profile investigative book ensures the issue will stay on the agenda of policymakers, scientists, and the public for years to come.
