‘Perplexing’ sound ‘attacks’ in Cuba continue to baffle State Department

Story highlights At least 24 diplomats and family members were affected, some with damage that they may carry for years, officials testified All the affected US personnel have experienced some improvement over recent months CNN — More than a year after US diplomats in Havana, Cuba, began reporting to embassy officials that they were hearing bizarre noises and experiencing a range of physical symptoms, the State Department and federal investigators have been unable to attribute the source or cause of the ailments, which they’ve determined, simply, “were most likely related to trauma from a non-natural source.” At least 24 diplomats and family members were affected, some with damage that they may carry for years, officials testified at a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing Tuesday. While the incidents remain a mystery, State Department officials who testified said they believe Cuba has clearer information about who is behind what they classified as “attacks” on US diplomats working on the communist-run island. In nearly all cases – 24 in total – the ailments were preceded by some sort of “acoustic element,” such as a “high-pitched beam of sound” or a “baffling sensation akin to driving with the windows partially open in a car.” Todd Brown, the State Department’s diplomatic security assistant director for international programs, admitted the US cannot guarantee the safety of its remaining diplomats in Havana – reduced in number since the threat emerged – because it still doesn’t understand the nature of the incidents, and is providing guidance to staff based on what affected personnel have experienced so far. At a briefing Tuesday afternoon, the agency’s undersecretary for public diplomacy, Steve Goldstein, said bluntly, “We believe that the Cuban government has the answer to this, and that they should be doing more to assist us in bringing this to resolution.” Goldstein also told reporters the State Department is not currently considering returning to full staffing levels at the embassy.