Bolton Says Canada and the U.S. Did Not Fully Investigate Havana Illnesses
Former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton says Canada and the United States failed to properly investigate whether Russia used directed energy against diplomats in Cuba.
Bolton made the claim in an interview with The Globe and Mail published Oct. 2, reported from Ottawa. He said he suspected Russian involvement soon after learning about mysterious illnesses among U.S. diplomats, shortly after starting work in Donald Trump's first term. Bolton left the administration in 2019 after clashes over foreign policy. The Globe and Mail
He told the paper it was well known that Russia had worked with directed energy before. Directed energy weapons focus electromagnetic energy, such as microwaves, instead of firing bullets. In Bolton's account, Havana may have been the first place outside Moscow where Russia tried such a weapon, because Russians could operate there with complete freedom. He said Russia used it in other places as well, which suggested testing.
Bolton also said Canadians in Havana could have been involved in spying, which made them of particular interest to Russia and Cuba. He pointed to Canada's membership in the Five Eyes, the intelligence-sharing alliance of the U.S., Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Global Affairs Canada denied that Canadian diplomats were engaged in espionage in Cuba.
A former senior Global Affairs official involved in security and intelligence operations told the paper the department always suspected Russia was behind the incidents but had no proof it could state in public.
Illnesses, postings and the official record
U.S. and Canadian diplomats serving in Cuba from 2016 to 2018, and their families, reported sudden and unexplained brain injuries. Symptoms included nosebleeds, dizziness, blurred vision, confusion and memory loss. The illness, known as Havana Syndrome, often struck in the evening at home after diplomats heard a noise.
Canadians posted to Havana first reported symptoms in spring 2017. Between 2016 and 2018, dozens of U.S. embassy staff, largely in Cuba, reported hearing loss, vertigo and headaches. About 1,000 U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers have been affected by the illness. Reuters
Ottawa's formal finding remains narrow. Canada's Interdepartmental Task Force report on Unexplained Health Incidents in Havana, Cuba found no evidence to attribute the symptoms reported by Canada-based staff. The report was published Feb. 24, 2026. Global Affairs Canada
That public position has been consistent. In December 2019, the government said it was still investigating potential causes of unusual symptoms among diplomatic staff. Global Affairs now says affected diplomats should address health issues through the Federal Workers' Compensation Service.
Federal research-security guidance sounds a different note in another setting. It states that scientific literature points to a directed energy weapon as the suspected cause of Havana Syndrome reported by U.S. personnel in Cuba. ISED
Lawsuit under seal
A group of Canadian government employees and their dependants is suing the Crown over Havana Syndrome. It is a multimillion-dollar lawsuit brought by Canadian diplomats.
Canada's Justice Department used a rare national-security provision last year to keep new details of the case secret. The lawsuit is now under court seal and subject to a publication ban, which keeps court documents closed and limits what can be reported.
The diplomats amended their claim in summer 2024 after a joint investigation by CBS's 60 Minutes and Germany's Der Spiegel reported the illnesses could be tied to Russian military intelligence using sonic weaponry. An April 1, 2024 report said a Russian military intelligence unit may be linked to Havana Syndrome among U.S. diplomats and spies. The Kremlin dismissed that report. Reuters
The Globe and Mail published a related story Sept. 26 titled "Canadians were spying for U.S. in Cuba at time of alleged sonic attacks: source," reporting that a Canadian diplomat shared intelligence with American spies in Havana.
U.S. assessments have pointed in different directions. The CIA found most cases were unlikely to have been caused by a foreign power. Most can be explained by environmental causes, undiagnosed medical conditions or stress. Reuters
The broader context here is familiar to anyone who handles Crown liability and intelligence files. Ottawa is defending an employer-duty case while controlling classified material, and the two duties pull in opposite directions. A no-attribution finding helps the Crown on causation. A sealed file with a national-security claim protects sources and methods. Together they narrow what Parliament, the press and the plaintiffs can test in public.
In my view, Bolton's intervention does not settle that tension but it sharpens the political question. He is a former principal, not a current officeholder, and his account is allegation rather than documented finding. For ministers and senior officials, the issue is less whether his directed-energy theory is correct than whether the first joint investigative effort was sufficient and whether the compensation and care system is adequate while causation remains officially unattributed. Those are decisions for elected government and, for the lawsuit, for the court under its sealing and publication-ban orders.
