Since 2016, American and Canadian diplomats at an embassy in Havana, Cuba and US consulates and elsewhere have suffered neurological problems thought to have been caused by a mysterious directed energy weapon. Now, a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report supports that theory—citing " "directed, pulsed radiofrequency energy," including microwaves—as the source of the illnesses. From the New York Times:
The report said that the variability of the incidents, which appeared to affect people in different ways, left open the possible influence of "psychological and social factors." And it said that some of the victims may be experiencing a condition called "persistent postural-perceptual dizziness," a nervous system disorder that produces a prolonged feeling of vertigo or unsteadiness[…]
The report does not point to a perpetrator, though it mentions "significant research in Russia/U.S.S.R." on pulsed radiofrequency technology, as well as the exposure of military personnel in Eurasian communist countries to microwave radiation. The Soviet Union bombarded the American Embassy in Moscow with microwaves in the 1970s and '80s. In a 2014 document, the National Security Agency discussed a microwave weapon used by a hostile country, which people familiar with the document said was Russia[…]
Several lawmakers have forcefully pressed the State Department to be more accountable and provide proper health and work compensation benefits to all of the victims and affected family members. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire, has inserted a provision on long-term benefits into the latest defense budget bill that Congress is expected to pass this month, though Mr. Trump has threatened to veto the measure for reasons unrelated to the provision.
"Their illnesses and suffering are real and demand a response from Congress," Ms. Shaheen said. "While I'm encouraged by the progress we're seeing, much more must be done to uncover the source of these incidents and ensure that no other public servant suffers in this way."
"Report Points to Microwave 'Attack' as Likely Source of Mystery Illnesses That Hit Diplomats and Spies" (New York Times)
image: transformation of US State Department photo
