THE THEORIES / HAVANA
Is it a modern mind weapon?
RECORD / AT A GLANCE
DISPUTED
The symptoms are real. Whether they come from a weapon is disputed inside the government. There is no link to MKULTRA.
THE EVENTS / THE CLAIM / THE RECORD
Late 2016
Diplomats in Havana report head-trauma symptoms.
2023
The intelligence community finds it unlikely a foreign adversary is responsible.
January 2025
A broader assessment finds a foreign actor very unlikely.
12 June 2026
DNI Gabbard withdraws both assessments.
READ THE FILE
A weapon aimed at the brain.
Two assessments, then a reversal.
Open an article for its evidence, labeled AI assessment and numbered sources. Read the complete static edition ↗
WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT THIS FILE
2 claims people make about this file, each rated documented, partly true, disputed, unproven or false. Think a rating is wrong? Use Dispute or Support, or join the Discussion.
U.S. assessments said a foreign weapon was unlikely, then were withdrawn in 2026; the question is open.
Who says it: Victims; some officials.
No record links them.
Who says it: Online posts.
OPEN THE RECORD
Numbered citations in each article identify the relevant sources. These records have different purposes and evidentiary weight.
Reports the rescission of the 2023 and January 2025 assessments and summarizes what they had said.
← The MKUltra File hub: the history, the full timeline and every file
Comment, dispute or support a claim, submit a source or rate this page through a short Google Form. It asks you to sign in with Google so we know you are a real person; your email is never shown. Nothing appears here until it has been reviewed. Conversation on X tagged #AIFiles #AIFilesMKUltra shows up below after the daily refresh.
Reader comments
On X
Posts from the daily snapshot appear here when JavaScript is on. You can read this subject’s threads on the forum: Forum: #AIFilesMKUltra.
Reader comments are shown only after review, and rows removed from the form’s sheet disappear at the next refresh. X posts are a read-only daily snapshot; posts deleted or made private there are removed at the next refresh. Inclusion is not endorsement. A submitted source stays pending review until a page update says otherwise.
A weapon aimed at the brain.
Officials stationed in Havana and elsewhere reported symptoms “consistent with head trauma, including vertigo and extreme headaches”, some severe enough to end careers. Many victims believe there is intelligence showing Russia is responsible. In June 2026, the Director of National Intelligence agreed that the earlier skeptical assessments were flawed. [1]
Reports the rescission of the 2023 and January 2025 assessments and summarizes what they had said.
Two assessments, then a reversal.
A 2023 assessment found the intelligence community could not link any case to a foreign adversary. In January 2025, the broader community assessed it “very unlikely” that a foreign actor caused the symptoms, while saying it could not “rule out” a small number of cases. [1]
On 12 June 2026 CNN reported that Gabbard rescinded both, saying they had “selectively excluded relevant intelligence” and relied on “an ethically flawed medical study”. The rescission did not put a new finding in their place. [1]
There is no evidence linking Havana Syndrome to MKULTRA. It belongs here because people ask whether the CIA’s old interest in controlling minds has a modern counterpart.
Reports the rescission of the 2023 and January 2025 assessments and summarizes what they had said.
Approved reader comments and ratings appear here when JavaScript is on.