U.S. intelligence, military and law enforcement officials unanimously agreed Thursday that an intelligence community assessment doubting a foreign role in so-called “Havana syndrome” illnesses needs to be withdrawn, after a U.S. lawmaker claimed a “cover-up.”
That view aligns with those of a lawyer representing Canadian diplomats who’ve long said they were stricken with debilitating symptoms while serving in Cuba — hence the syndrome’s name — and who’re pursuing legal motion against the Canadian government.
U.S. House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Rick Crawford said the 2025 assessment, which echoed previous reports, was based on “flawed” intelligence and manufactured “unethical” health studies that sought a desired consequence, and desires to be recalled.
“Put simply, it’s my clear opinion that individuals within the intelligence community were involved in a cover-up,” he said on the opening of Thursday’s hearing, which was focused on the U.S. intelligence community’s annual threat assessment.
Asked by Crawford if the assessment needs to be retracted, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard — whose office is conducting a review of the investigation — said “yes.”
CIA Director John Ratcliffe deferred to Gabbard, noting his agency was supporting the review. FBI Director Kash Patel, acting National Security Agency director Lt.-Gen. William Hartman, and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt.-Gen. James Adams all said “yes.”
American foreign service officials and their dependents in Havana began reporting symptoms including headaches, memory loss, mood changes, vision problems, nausea and nosebleeds in 2016.
By early 2017, Canadian diplomats and their families were reporting similar symptoms, which were later claimed by American military, intelligence and diplomatic officials in multiple other countries.
The similarity of the symptoms, together with the titles the victims held, led to claims that a hostile enemy state was involved.
“I actually have all the time believed that it was a foreign adversary,” said lawyer Paul Miller, who’s representing 17 plaintiffs accusing Ottawa of downplaying “Havana Syndrome” and dismissing their claims, in a recent interview with Global News.
That case, first filed in 2019, has still not been resolved.
A March 1, 2023, report from the U.S. National Intelligence Council concluded that it was “not possible” a foreign adversary was answerable for the health issues reported by American personnel.
That conclusion was cited in a 2024 Global Affairs Canada report that said the unexplained health incidents “weren’t the results of a malicious act of a foreign actor.”
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The report, drawing on the work of an interdepartmental task force and external experts, says pre-existing medical conditions, environmental aspects and traditional illnesses “were prone to have been necessary aspects in most of the symptoms experienced.”
The report adds that the findings “don’t forged doubt on the authenticity of the symptoms reported by staff members and their dependents.”
“I actually have never believed one thing Global Affairs has told us,” Miller said.
“I actually have talked with people who find themselves Americans who were in Havana, who were next-door neighbours of clients of mine, who were impacted by Havana syndrome. So I’ve heard it right from the horse’s mouth of people who have been impacted.”
He continued: “We have now all the time thought from our perspective, from council’s perspective, that Canada couldn’t come out and do anything or say anything without the U.S. first. … Because if it was a foreign actor that did this, it’s an act of war.”
Symptoms related to Havana syndrome, which has afflicted Americans serving at diplomatic posts in several countries. (AP Graphic).
In a brand new assessment released by U.S. intelligence last yr, five of seven agencies that reviewed the case reaffirmed that it is extremely unlikely that a foreign adversary was behind the injuries.
Two of the agencies, nevertheless, reached a distinct conclusion, determining that there’s a possibility that a foreign power could have developed and even used a weapon able to causing the reported injuries. Such a tool would presumably depend on acoustic energy, microwaves or one other type of directed energy.
A “60 Minutes” investigation released earlier this month reported that such a tool exists and was developed by Russia.
Sources told “60 Minutes” that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security secretly acquired a tool from a Russian black market seller and tested it on animals within the U.S. — concluding the microwaves it emitted produced the identical symptoms reported by American and Canadian personnel.
The report quoted a former CIA official involved within the investigation who said his supervisors didn’t need to publicly accuse a foreign actor of attacking Americans overseas over fears it might dissuade people from intelligence or diplomatic service.
Global News has not independently verified the reporting by “60 Minutes.”
Previous media investigations, including by “60 Minutes,” have also alleged a Russian link to Havana syndrome, which Moscow has denied.
Miller said he was not surprised by the report’s findings, alleging that the Canadian government has also interfered within the investigation.
The statement of claim filed within the Federal Court of Canada alleges Ottawa used U.S. diplomatic channels to inform brain researchers on the University of Pennsylvania, who were treating U.S. victims, to “stop the testing of Canadians” who were sent there for study in 2017.
“The Canadian government ordered our clients back to Canada, citing national security reasons,” Miller said.
“If that is pesticides, or psychosomatic, or anything like that, how is there national security implications?”
A spokesperson for the Skilled Association of Foreign Service Officers said the union was “following the newest developments closely.”
“The employer (Global Affairs Canada) must determine the reason behind the injuries in query and forestall them from happening again,” Daniel Pollak said in an emailed statement.
Crawford’s committee released a report in December 2024 that concluded it’s “increasingly likely” a foreign adversary is answerable for “some portion” of the incidents.
He said Thursday that the U.S. intelligence assessments, in addition to the 2024 U.S. National Institutes of Health studies that found no evidence of brain injury amongst those affected by Havana syndrome, had created distrust amongst Americans within the intelligence community and “caused real, serious harm to a few of our nation’s bravest.”
Global News has previously reported Canadian diplomatic staff sure for Cuba were told to remain silent about Havana syndrome, and that Global Affairs Canada staff at one point discussed the likelihood that the reported symptoms were imagined.
The federal government has disputed allegations of wrongdoing in court, calling those claims “exaggerated.”
Questions sent to Global Affairs Canada about Thursday’s testimony in Washington, including whether the department would consider a brand new investigation or withdrawing its 2024 report, weren’t immediately returned.
The department has declined to verify whether Canadian diplomats in Cuba are still being advised to serve without being accompanied by their families, a call made within the wake of the Havana syndrome reports.
“We don’t comment publicly on specific security measures at our missions abroad,” a spokesperson said.
Miller said he was unable to debate the present status of the court case. Probably the most recent court filings, including an amended statement of claim, is marked classified and couldn’t be provided.
“The behaviour of the federal government (on this case) has done more damage to cause people to not want to affix foreign service than anything,” he said.
“When you’re going to place someone in harm’s way, protect them. Treat them with respect.”
—with files from the Canadian Press and the Associated Press