Let's Talk About This Cuban-Russian-Chinese Conspiracy
The oddest diplomatic story in ages shows our penchant for mindless demonization
By Matt Taibbi
21 hours ago
The lede in the New York Times piece was striking in its certainty:
A crisis over a mysterious ailment sickening American diplomats and their families — which began in Cuba and recently appeared in China — has widened as the State Department evacuated at least two more Americans from China on Wednesday.
Assuming is one thing, but to actually report that the Cuba and China embassy episodes are linked is a major leap. The Times story got weirder from there, but one thing's for sure: If the cases are linked, we almost surely owe Cuba a massive apology.
Last summer, a bizarre story began trickling out of Havana. The Times first tackled it on August 11th, 2017, in "'Health Attacks' on U.S. Diplomats in Cuba Baffle Both Countries."
The story reported "American diplomats in Havana were getting sick with headaches, dizziness and hearing loss." A "person who was briefed on the situation" told the Times that "the illnesses appeared to be caused by some kind of sonic wave machine."
More:
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/embassy-mystery-w521416
