Secretary of State Antony Blinken is defending U.S. diplomats who came forward to report suspected incidents of “Havana Syndrome,” insisting “their pain is real” after a CIA report cast doubt on the extent of the unexplained phenomenon.
In a letter to all U.S. diplomats, sent Thursday and obtained by NBC News, Blinken said interim findings from the intelligence community had found “plausible explanations for many — but not all — reports of potential anomalous health incidents,” using the Biden administration’s preferred term for Havana Syndrome.
“These findings do not call into question the fact that our colleagues are reporting real experiences and are suffering real symptoms,” Blinken says. “I have heard those firsthand in my discussions in Washington and around the world with those afflicted.”
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