U.S. Diplomats in Cuba Diagnosed With Brain Injuries From Sonic Attack
Diplomats suffer from other forms of harassment, too.
CBS News obtained medical records from U.S. diplomats in Cuba that show doctors diagnosed them with brain injuries from possible sonic attacks while in Havana. From CBS News:
The diplomats complained about symptoms ranging from hearing loss and nausea to headaches and balance disorders after the State Department said “incidents” began affecting them beginning in late 2016. A source familiar with these incidents says officials are investigating whether the diplomats were targets of a type of sonic attack directed at their homes, which were provided by the Cuban government. The source says reports of more attacks affecting U.S. embassy workers on the island continue.
The doctor, one of several who reviewed their cases, included a warning in the medical records about the health risks of future exposures. The diplomats underwent comprehensive audiological evaluations and a battery of other tests.
Diplomats have suffered harassment other types of harassment on the island, “including vehicle vandalization, constant surveillance, and home break-ins.”
These sonic attacks have forced many diplomats to cut short their stay in Cuba.
The news of these attacks surfaced earlier this month when State Department officials spoke to CNN:
The employees affected were not at the same place at the same time, but suffered a variety of physical symptoms since late 2016 which resembled concussions.
The State Department raised the incidents with the Cuban government over the course of several months and sent medical personnel to Havana, but have not been able to determine exactly what happened.
“It can be quite serious,” one official told CNN. “We have worked with the Cubans to try and find out what is going on. They insist they don’t know, but it has been very worrying and troublesome.”
“It’s very strange,” one official said.
The officials do not know the extent of the involvement of the Cuban government, but one officials said someone within the regime must have been involved “because Cuba’s security services exercise such a tight grip over the country.” Cuban officials denied involvement. From Fox News:
Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement August 9 denying allegations.
“Cuba has never, nor would it ever, allow that the Cuban territory be used for any action against accredited diplomatic agents or their families, without exception,” the ministry said. “Moreover, it reiterates its willingness to cooperate in the clarification of this situation.”
Our government has taken action against Cuba:
Some of those affected chose to return to the US, said Nauert, prompting the administration to expel two Cuban diplomats from the embassy in Washington in May.
“The Cuban government has a responsibility and an obligation under the Geneva convention to protect our diplomats,” Nauert told reporters, “so that is part of the reason why this is such a major concern of ours.”
“We felt like we needed to respond to the Cubans and remind them of their responsibility under the Vienna convention,” one of the officials said. The officials were not declared “persona non-grata” and may be allowed to return back to the United States if the matter is resolved.
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Comments
…but Cuba has such fine health care? If the earth needed an enema, you would put it into Cuba!
Perhaps these “attacks” were really just Cuba providing state-of-the-art utopian level health care free of charge.
The country is so poor that half the doctors moonlight as hookers. It adds a whole new twist to a prostate exam.
Is that why Obama and Leftist, Democrats love Cuba so much?
Snark!
Remember the passive bugging system the Russians hide in a piece of artwork given the US embassy in Moscow? They used microwaves projected at the building to power up the bugging device.
How did CBS get a person’s medical records?
If the diplomats authorized the release, they should say that they were given permission to review and report. Otherwise, isn’t this a violation of HIPPA?
This should fairly be treated by the Trump Administration as an act of war. However novel or unusual the weapon employed, this is the equivalent of shooting at our diplomatic staff with conventional firearms. And, this is further proof that all of Obama’s naïve, showboating, vanity-driven and self-congratulatory détente with the Cuban regime should be swiftly and completely undone.
Cuba is like the nyt in that they will claim that they didn’t know it was going on. The nyt libeled Palin and then said that they didn’t know the truth, even though it was published several times in their OWN rag of a paper, just like the Cubans will say that they too didn’t know the truth.
Believe me, as I know what I am talking about: in Cuba nothing moves without approval from the higher ups.
So pull out all our diplomats, close the embassy, prohibit all travel from the US to Cuba and cancel any foreign aid. We do NOT need to put up with this crap.
Could someone kindly explain what exactly is alleged to have happened? “Some kind of sonic attack” doesn’t explain anything.
Targeted ultra-sound waves of very long wavelengths of 18 meters or more, well below the human ability to hear.
Readers may recall that weaponization of sound energy was a part of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged.
Time was, America would send in the Marines to conquer the island and stop that sh*t.
OK, let’s be clear.
What “shit” are you talking about?
Now, I don’t put anything beyond the Castro family of thugs and their underlings.
But before you go all “gung-ho” on they asses, it seems like you’d NEED a LOT more support, PROVING what was done, by who, and how.
IF you have it, lay it out.
Earth to raghead the moby. That ship sailed in 1959. Get up to speed.
Rags is correct. Just what really are the injuries… a full report is needed. Classic epidemiology needed. However, too many reported with similar findings…. location, food, water, air… “Sonic”… low frequency had to shield against. As I noted above… microwaves… turning the embassy into a Radar Range.
We tried that in 1961. JFK screwed it up royally, and ended up promising we’d never ever try it again.