Congress to investigate the CIA's work on the Havana Syndrome

The House Intelligence Committee is investigating how U.S. spy agencies investigated cases of Havana syndrome, a possible challenge by Congress to their conclusions about the mysterious diseases.

Early in the Biden administration, intelligence agencies began an effort to determine the causes of the abnormal health incidents, the administration's term for Havana syndrome. As a result of that work, intelligence agencies concluded that environmental causes, undiagnosed medical conditions or stress, rather than a sustained global campaign by a foreign power, had caused most of the ailments.

But the House of Representatives investigation will look at the spy agencies' analyzes and the integrity of their work. The investigation, depending on what it discovers and concludes, could reopen the debate over the causes of the Havana Syndrome, which was put to rest after the intelligence community said it was not the result of a hostile country.

Havana syndrome is the name for a collection of debilitating symptoms — including migraines, dizziness and other ailments — first observed in diplomats and spies working at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba in 2016 and 2017. The symptoms often came after people felt pressure in their heads or heard strange noises.

Eventually, hundreds of reports of possible cases came in, creating a sense of crisis. But in recent years, reports have dwindled to a small number, officials said.

The House committee announced the investigation Thursday in a letter to Avril D. Haines, the director of national intelligence. In the letter, Representative Rick Crawford, Republican of Arkansas, said the investigation would investigate “allegations of improper suppression” of information related to the incidents between intelligence agencies and between the executive branch and Congress.

Following the initial reports from Cuba, reports of diplomats, military personnel and CIA officers experiencing similar symptoms spread in subsequent years, first in China and then elsewhere around the world. Some former officials said they believed the ailments may have been caused by Russia or another hostile state using a listening device or even some kind of weapon.

William J. Burns took the helm of the CIA in 2021 and vowed to uncover the cause of its ills. He created an analytical team to examine the evidence. And the Office of the Director of National Intelligence gathered a group of experts to examine the classified and unclassified evidence.

The CIA has compensated some former officers who suffered debilitating injuries and has improved access to health care for those who report symptoms. But first the CIA in 2022, and then Ms. Haines' office the following year, concluded that it was highly unlikely that a hostile state was behind the incidents.

Intelligence services have found no intercepts involving Russian or other spies. The lack of evidence was telling. US spy agencies had penetrated Russia's military and intelligence services so thoroughly that they knew many details of Russia's invasion plan for Ukraine, but they found no evidence supporting Russian involvement in episodes of the Havana Syndrome.

Timothy L. Barrett, an assistant director of national intelligence, said the agencies would continue to work with Mr. Crawford and the committee.

Mr. Barrett said that even though most intelligence agencies concluded that it was highly unlikely that a foreign adversary was responsible for all the reported ills, “that doesn't mean our job is done.”

“We continue to prioritize understanding such incidents, distributing resources and expertise across government, pursuing multiple lines of inquiry and seeking information to fill the gaps we have identified,” Mr Barrett said.

But many who have suffered from Havana Syndrome say the analytical work and research into the episodes has fallen short and questions have been raised about them. They have urged Congress to conduct a more thorough review.

In the letter, Mr. Crawford referred to information provided to the committee by whistleblowers and intelligence community officials. A spokeswoman for Mr. Crawford could not be reached for comment.

Mark S. Zaid, an attorney who has represented some of the whistleblowers, said the new investigation showed Congress pushed back against the executive branch's claims that the syndrome is “essentially nonexistent.”

He said the House committee could learn more from the spy agencies about the abnormal health incidents.

“Based on my years of representing AHI victims, there is no doubt in my mind that the executive branch is concealing what it actually knows about these incidents, including the cause and the foreign perpetrators,” Mr. Zaid said. “We look forward to the truth finally being made public and accountability for both the perpetrators and the US government deniers.”