Former CIA Director R. James Woolsey experienced symptoms of Havana Syndrome in the years leading up to his death, according to his wife, Conchita Sarnoff Woolsey. Woolsey, 84, died of a stroke at his Washington, D.C. home.
His tenure as CIA director spanned two years during former President Bill Clinton's administration in the early 1990s. Sarnoff Woolsey indicated that her husband's health began to deteriorate as a direct consequence of the condition, which is characterized by symptoms such as ear pain, memory lapses, fatigue, migraines, dizziness, cognitive problems, and hearing loss.
She reported that Woolsey began experiencing these symptoms following an incident in Washington in 2017 and another in Istanbul the subsequent year. The couple sought treatment internationally but were unsuccessful in finding a cure, she told The Washington Post.
Over 1,500 cases of Havana Syndrome, which the U.S. government refers to as anomalous health incidents (AHI), have been reported by American intelligence and diplomatic personnel in numerous countries since the condition first emerged in Cuba in 2016.
In June, former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard rescinded two Biden-era assessments that concluded Havana Syndrome was unlikely to be the result of foreign adversaries targeting U.S. personnel. This action followed a January call from the Republican-led House Intelligence Committee for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to retract those findings amid growing evidence suggesting microwave weapons might be responsible for the illness.
Multiple sources have previously indicated to The Post that U.S. intelligence agencies internally suspect Russia may be behind these incidents. In March, CBS News reported that undercover American agents had purchased a miniaturized microwave weapon from a Russian criminal network for approximately $15 million as part of a Pentagon-backed initiative to investigate the cause of Havana Syndrome. This classified weapon, when tested on animals at a U.S. military laboratory, reportedly induced neurological injuries comparable to those observed in Havana Syndrome patients. The CIA has not immediately responded to requests for comment.