Tonight, we have details of a classified U.S. intelligence mission that has obtained a previously unknown weapon that may finally unlock a mystery. Since at least 2016, U.S. diplomats, spies, and military officers have suffered crippling brain injuries. They’ve told of being hit by an overwhelming force, damaging their vision, hearing, sense of balance, and cognition. But the government has doubted their stories. They’ve been called delusional.
Now, 60 Minutes has learned that a weapon capable of inflicting these injuries was obtained overseas and secretly tested on animals on a U.S. military base. We have investigated this mystery for nine years. This is our fourth story called, *“Targeting Americans.”*
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Despite official government doubt, we never stopped reporting because of the haunting stories we heard, like this one:
**Chris:** “The very first incident occurred in August of 2020. What it felt like was that someone punched me in the throat, and my left ear was clogged. I started to get sharp shooting pains going down my left arm.”
Chris and Heidi asked us not to use their last names. They met at the Air Force Academy. Chris retired as a lieutenant colonel working on highly classified spy satellites. He told us near Washington, D.C., he was struck by an unseen force five times in five months.
**Chris:** “The second attack, I was standing in my kitchen looking out at the backwoods and it felt like an immediate vice on my head — I was immediately disoriented, confused, and dizzy. The third attack, towards the end of September, I was sitting in our living room, and instantaneously all of the muscles within my spine cramped much like a Charley horse, and my spine felt like it was on fire — very hot and sharp. The fifth one was by far the worst, early December. I woke up with a full-body convulsion, the worst pain I have ever felt. It felt like a vice gripping my brainstem.”
**Scott Pelley:** “All in your own home?”
**Chris:** “All in my home in Northern Virginia. Heidi was within my proximity for the last two attacks.”
**Scott Pelley:** “Heidi, what happened to you?”
**Heidi:** “Right at the beginning of January, I woke up with immense joint pain everywhere, with shoulder pain in my left shoulder out of the blue—no trauma. The bones in her shoulder were dissolving, something called osteolysis. She had to have surgery.”
**Scott Pelley:** “Has there been any lasting effect?”
**Chris:** “Significant. I’m on two neurological drugs every day, and without them I have very severe symptoms. I have sustained significant damage to multiple organ systems.”
**Scott Pelley:** “You believe you were attacked?”
**Chris:** “Yes.”
**Scott Pelley:** “By a foreign adversary?”
**Chris:** “Yes.”
**Scott Pelley:** “In the line of duty?”
**Chris:** “Yes.”
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It’s a belief shared by officials and their families that we’ve met over the years. Listen to others who told similar stories:
There was an FBI agent.
**Carrie:** “And bam, inside my right ear, it was like a dentist drilling on steroids.”
A Commerce Department official in China.
**Catherine Werne:** “I could feel this sound in my head. It was intense pressure on both of my temples.”
This early victim was among cases from Cuba, which gave the mystery its name: “Havana Syndrome.”
**Anonymous 1:** “Severe ear pain started. I liken it to if you put a Q-tip too far and bounce it off your eardrum. Now imagine taking a sharp pencil and just poking it.”
And the wife of a Justice Department official posted in Europe.
**Anonymous 2:** “It just pierced my ears. It came in my left side, felt like it came through the window into my left ear. I immediately felt fullness in my head and a piercing headache.”
Multiple surgeries have tried to repair bones in her inner ear and skull. Many victims have life-long disabilities.
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What struck us about their stories is this: people who never met, tell it the same way.
The government acknowledges the injuries and often pays for health care but for years has doubted the cause. Victims have been told it may be atmospheric or environmental, a virus, a preexisting condition, or as the FBI put it in an early investigation — *mass hysteria.*
The official word published in 2023, and still standing, says it’s “very unlikely” these are attacks by a foreign adversary.
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**Scott Pelley:** “Do you believe the victims?”
**Dr. David Relman:** “Absolutely.”
Dr. David Relman, a Stanford University professor of medicine, was asked by the government to lead two investigations. His panels included doctors, physicists, engineers, and others. Their reports in 2020 and 2022 proposed a theory:
**Dr. David Relman:** “The two panels, the investigations that I know well, both concluded much the same — that the most plausible explanation for a subset of these cases was a form of radiofrequency or microwave energy.”
Microwaves are a range of frequencies in the electromagnetic spectrum. Various microwave frequencies are generated by your oven, radar systems, TV transmitters. Even your phone, WiFi, and Bluetooth use microwaves.
Dr. Relman told us his investigations found that one country had done a great deal of research on creating something different: a unique pattern of microwaves that can damage the brain.
**Dr. David Relman:** “In both of our investigations, we found the large majority of work to have been conducted in the former Soviet Union. And what they found was that effects could range from loss of consciousness to seizures, memory lapses, inability to concentrate, headaches, intense pressure, pain, disorientation, difficulty with balance — many of the things we heard about from victims of Havana Syndrome.”
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**Scott Pelley:** “The Russians had been doing experiments in this area decades ago?”
**Dr. David Relman:** “Decades ago, yes, of a wide variety of sorts.”
In a previous story on this mystery, we found a 2014 reference to a weapon. Compelled by a lawsuit, the National Security Agency confirmed intelligence of “a high-powered microwave system weapon” associated with a “hostile country.”
But the CIA believed such a weapon would need enormous power and be as big as a truck — so not likely.
Years later, when Dr. Relman’s expert panels suggested these could be microwave injuries, the idea was shelved by federal officials.
**Dr. David Relman:** “What really unnerves me is the confidence with which others have dismissed or ignored this work, only to say, ‘That’s not possible. That’s not plausible. I don’t believe it.’ That’s fine, but show me new evidence. Nobody has.”
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**Scott Pelley:** “Do you believe your studies were downplayed by the U.S. government?”
**Dr. David Relman:** “By parts of the U.S. government, absolutely. Not only downplayed but dismissed — in some cases, buried.”
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**Former CIA Officer:** “I started in March of 2015.”
This man may know. He’s a former CIA officer who asked us not to use his name. He is speaking tonight for the first time. In 2021, he volunteered to work on the CIA’s investigation because of the suffering he’d seen among CIA officers and their families overseas.
**Former CIA Officer:** “These were my colleagues. My friends. People I had worked with. I saw lives destroyed. Careers ruined. People’s kids affected. Lifelong developmental issues. And still now, people are having cognitive issues and all types of secondary effects years later.”
He joined the so-called “AHI” investigation at CIA headquarters. “AHI,” because the government calls the cases, not attacks, but “anomalous health incidents.”
He expected to dig in to whether a foreign adversary — a so-called “state actor” — was behind this, but it didn’t go that way.
**Former CIA Officer:** “One of the first things I heard when I arrived was, ‘Our job is to bring down the temperature on AHI at headquarters.’ That was a surprise. It was emotional, almost like propaganda. Bringing down the temperature wasn’t about solving the issue.”
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**Scott Pelley:** “By ‘bring down the temperature,’ you mean what?”
**Former CIA Officer:** “Basically, ‘We’re going to work towards this being atmospheric and environmental versus a state actor.’ They didn’t want people talking about it as a state actor.”
He says fear of the mysterious AHIs was creating havoc.
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**Scott Pelley:** “How did that fear and paranoia affect CIA officers and their families?”
**Former CIA Officer:** “Personally, my own family left early from my tour by multiple months because we were worried they would be affected by AHI. I saw multiple officers shorten tours, families leave early, pick locations where AHIs weren’t happening. This was government-wide, not just CIA.”
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**Scott Pelley:** “What was the attitude of your bosses toward victims who reported in?”
**Former CIA Officer:** “One of the most disgusting things I saw was a senior member coming into my office saying, ‘We’re going to have a happy hour where we all have simulated AHIs and drink together.’ She mimicked a stroke, making fun of the victims. It was deplorable.”
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**Scott Pelley:** “No sense of ‘get to the bottom of this?’”
**Former CIA Officer:** “No. The bottom line was proving it was psychosomatic, atmospheric, or environmental.”
All this led him to resign.
**Former CIA Officer:** “I left because it was a moral issue. They kept saying, ‘Our people are our highest priority,’ but that wasn’t the case. It tore me up emotionally. I knew victims whose lives and families were destroyed. I couldn’t keep working there.”
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The CIA’s investigation essentially ended in 2022. Around the same time, a different classified mission was underway.
60 Minutes has learned U.S. agents who investigate illicit arms dealers heard that a Russian criminal network was selling a microwave weapon. Our sources say undercover Department of Homeland Security agents bought the weapon in 2024. The mission cost about $15 million, funded by the Pentagon.
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We’ve learned details of this classified microwave weapon that may explain the mysterious brain injuries suffered by U.S. officials.
The weapon is portable, concealable, and uses relatively little power.
Hundreds of possible attacks have been reported, including incidents at CIA headquarters in Virginia and at least two on the grounds of the White House.
For years, the government doubted the injured. But now, victims — including former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos — hope the news of this weapon finally vindicates them.
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**Marc Polymeropoulos:** “There’s a part of this, Scott, that has to do with moral injury — the sense of betrayal. I worked 26 years for the CIA. I was involved in every covert action program in the Middle East. I believed they’d have my back if I got jammed up. I just needed medical care when I came back, and they wouldn’t provide it. That moral injury, that betrayal, is something I can never forgive.”
Polymeropoulos rose to an executive level at the CIA, equivalent to a three-star general, and was awarded a top decoration for service.
In 2017, he was overwhelmed in a hotel room in Moscow.
**Marc Polymeropoulos:** “I woke in the middle of the night with incredible vertigo. No sound, but the room was spinning. Blinding headache, tinnitus ringing, felt physically sick. It was terrifying — losing control. I’d been shot at in Iraq and Afghanistan, but this was terrifying.”
He was treated for vertigo, migraines, vision loss, memory and concentration troubles. Disabled, he retired.
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In 2023, his agency concluded it is “very unlikely” victims were attacked by an adversary.
**Marc Polymeropoulos:** “That felt like betrayal. CIA is supposed to put people first; they didn’t.”
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**Scott Pelley:** “Are you saying this is a cover-up?”
**Marc Polymeropoulos:** “It’s a massive CIA cover-up. I say this with regret. It’s an organization I loved; I believe in the mission and was good at my job. To this day, I want to see the CIA strong and effective.”
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For years, some in the CIA believed the microwave weapon must be as big as a truck and thus implausible.
But that changed dramatically in 2024.
Three independent sources from different agencies tell us undercover Homeland Security agents purchased a miniaturized microwave weapon from a Russian criminal network.
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The weapon is classified, and we have not seen it, but it has been described.
It does not look like a gun. It is designed to be concealed and small enough to be carried by a person.
It is silent and does not create heat like a microwave oven.
Our sources say the device is programmable for different scenarios and operable by remote control.
It has a range of several hundred feet and can penetrate windows and drywall.
Its vital components were made in Russia.
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Our sources say the key is not the hardware, but the software.
The programming shapes a unique electromagnetic wave that rises and falls abruptly and pulses rapidly.
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**Dr. David Relman:** “Pulsed microwave radiation — just what our investigations predicted.”
He wouldn’t discuss classified information but his research found Russian scientists perfecting this concept for decades.
**Dr. David Relman:** “The Russians emphasized the importance of pulsed energy to have biological effects on humans. Pulses can stimulate electrically active tissue like the brain and heart, mimicking normal brain activity but driven externally.”
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**Scott Pelley:** “An ideal stealth weapon?”
**Dr. David Relman:** “Ideal. The person feels the sensation ‘inside my head.’”
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Confidential sources tell us the still-classified weapon has been tested in a U.S. military lab for more than a year.
Tests on rats and sheep show injuries consistent with those seen in humans.
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Separately, security camera videos have been collected showing Americans being hit.
The videos remain classified but were described to us.
In one, a camera in a restaurant in Istanbul captured two FBI agents on vacation sitting at a table with their families. A man with a backpack walks in; suddenly, everyone at the table grabs their head in apparent pain.
Another video from a stairwell in the U.S. Embassy in Vienna shows two people suddenly collapsing on stairs leading to a secure facility.
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These videos and the weapon were among the reasons the Biden administration summoned about half a dozen victims to the White House with two months left in the president’s term.
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**Dr. David Relman:** “I helped organize the meeting. The Biden White House believed these people and their injuries were not caused by known medical or environmental conditions as the CIA asserted. Some of the CIA’s explanations were just crazy.”
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**Scott Pelley:** “A high-level CIA source called this ‘the biggest cover-up’ they’ve seen in their adult life. Do you believe it was a cover-up?”
**Dr. David Relman:** “Yes. Through various means, not necessarily strategic, but it arrives at the same result.”
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**Scott Pelley:** “What could be the motive?”
**Dr. David Relman:** “It’s about wanting this to go away so normal operations can resume. There were dug-in opinions rejecting the plausibility of non-thermal microwave mechanisms. When we began, we were told the scientific literature wouldn’t support this. It seems they’d made up their minds. Consistency was valued over objectivity.”
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Retired CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos attended the White House meeting.
**Marc Polymeropoulos:** “The Biden Administration told us something had changed. New intelligence had come in. This was an unclassified meeting, so they couldn’t say it was based on new intelligence, but it was clear.”
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Dr. Paul Friedrichs, retired major general and former Pentagon top doctor, brought a message.
**Marc Polymeropoulos:** “He said, ‘I want to apologize to you. In 30-plus years of military medicine, I’ve never seen victims treated this poorly.’ I had chills. It was a sign that some in the Biden White House believed us.”
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**Dr. David Relman:** “Any American would be embarrassed to see how these people were treated—dismissed as malingerers or fabricating symptoms. It’s insulting.”
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Our sources tell us the Biden White House drafted a public statement backing victims but never released it.
So far, the Trump administration has not changed the 2023 intelligence assessment calling it “very unlikely” victims were attacked.
However, our sources say the Trump administration briefed top intelligence officials in Congress, showing them a classified picture of the weapon.
At the Pentagon, those who investigated the attacks for the Department of Defense have been moved to a unit developing new weapons.
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**Former CIA Officer:** “It was clear to me they didn’t take this seriously. The CIA was careless against a ruthless adversary.”
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**Scott Pelley:** “If Russia was behind this, would you say this was a success?”
**Former CIA Officer:** “Absolutely. From an intelligence perspective, a resounding success. Even one real case creating fear, paranoia, anxiety in the U.S. and overseas has an astronomical impact. I doubt the Russians expected it to get this big. That’s why it continued for about a year.”
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**Scott Pelley:** “Across our stories on this, I have asked ‘Why?’ I think you’re the first who could plausibly answer: Why would the government want to bury this?”
**Former CIA Officer:** “It is a political question. To acknowledge it as a state actor targeting Americans is essentially a declaration of war that demands a response. I don’t think the appetite was there to respond at that time.”
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In our 2024 story, a collaboration with Russian dissident magazine *The Insider.ru*, we found evidence of Russian involvement.
When this wife of a Justice Department official was seriously wounded overseas, an agent of Russian intelligence was nearby.
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For this report, the Department of Defense declined to comment.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), overseeing 18 agencies including the CIA, told us:
> “A new review of anomalous health incidents (AHI) will be comprehensive and complete. The DNI has provided the time, resources, and support needed to ensure the review is fulsome and accurate. We remain committed to delivering the truth that the American people deserve.”
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The victims continue to wait, including Chris and Heidi, who told us about being attacked five times in their home.
**Chris:** “I think it’s time we as a country come to grips with the fact the game has changed. Our adversaries can reach out and touch us here — specifically in our homes.”
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**Scott Pelley:** “What do you believe the government owes you?”
**Chris:** “For me and my military brothers and sisters who are hurt, being issued a Purple Heart would be acknowledgment of our sacrifice — a sacrifice that affects not only us but our families.”
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Sources who informed our reporting told us the classified mission to obtain the microwave weapon points to a troubling reality.
They say there are likely many of these devices, and if undercover agents could purchase one from gangsters, then the Russians have lost control of a stealth weapon that could be used by anyone, anywhere.
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**ODNI Full Statement:**
“The team conducting the review of AHI intelligence has been relentless in pursuing the truth to complete the assessment thoroughly. DNI Gabbard has provided the necessary resources and support. We remain committed to delivering the truth the American people deserve.”
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*Produced by Michael Rey, Oriana Zill de Granados, Adam Ciralsky (Part 2).*
*Associate producers: Mirella Brussani, Jaime Woods, Emily Gordon, Michelle Karim.*
*Edited by Joe Schanzer.*
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-military-tested-device-that-may-be-tied-to-havana-syndrome-60-minutes-transcript/
