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Hearing loss of US diplomats in Cuba blamed on secret sonic device

L

lazygecko

Member
https://www.apnews.com/51828908c6c8...-US-diplomats-in-Cuba-blamed-on-covert-device

In the fall of 2016, a series of U.S. diplomats began suffering unexplained losses of hearing, according to officials with knowledge of the investigation into the case. Several of the diplomats were recent arrivals at the embassy, which reopened in 2015 as part of former President Barack Obama’s reestablishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba.
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After months of investigation, U.S. officials concluded that the diplomats had been exposed to an advanced device that operated outside the range of audible sound and had been deployed either inside or outside their residences.
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Cuba employs a state security apparatus that keeps many people under surveillance and U.S. diplomats are among the most closely monitored people on the island. Like virtually all foreign diplomats in Cuba, the victims of the incidents lived in housing owned and maintained by the Cuban government.

However, officials familiar with the probe said investigators were looking into the possibilities that the incidents were carried out by a third country such as Russia, possibly operating without the knowledge of Cuba’s formal chain of command.
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K

kmax

Member
200_s.gif


I wonder who.
 
M

marimorimo

Member
It's scary such a device exists. Like one morning you wake up and suddenly you're deaf seemingly without explanation.

I wonder if they had any pets with them and if the pets would have been able to detect the sound?
 
D

devilhawk

Member
marimorimo said:
It's scary such a device exists. Like one morning you wake up and suddenly you're deaf seemingly without explanation.

I wonder if they had any pets with them and if the pets would have been able to detect the sound?
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I doubt the purpose of the device is to make people deaf. It likely is transmitting data at that frequency and was only tested to ensure that is wasn't audible and not to ensure that it wasn't harmful.
 
M

MIMIC

Banned
marimorimo said:
It's scary such a device exists. Like one morning you wake up and suddenly you're deaf seemingly without explanation.

I wonder if they had any pets with them and if the pets would have been able to detect the sound?
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Me: Stop barking!
Dog: Bitch you're about to go deaf!
 
S

soundscream

Member
marimorimo said:
It's scary such a device exists. Like one morning you wake up and suddenly you're deaf seemingly without explanation.

I wonder if they had any pets with them and if the pets would have been able to detect the sound?
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I dont think they are deaf, hearing loss means they dont hear as well as they used to. If they went deaf they would have wrote that.
 
Silent Chief

Silent Chief

Member
Sunster said:
but i wanna be friends with Cuba again...
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I doubt Putin wants to lose exclusivity over Cuba.

The LRAD made in the US are quite audible.
The Mosquitos made in the UK are used to repulse teenagers as they are not audible to adults.

The US diplomats had children with them who were not affected.
I'm not sure if there are documented cases of hearing losses due to inaudible noises.

Seems highly unlikely Cuba would divert resources on such niche weapon R&D, but Russia certainly does.

And add one Canadian diplomat to the list.
Canada has had good relations with Cuba since at least the 70s.
Canada-Russia relations are at an all-time low.
 
Trojita

Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
Everytime I hear about this it reminds me of that X-Files episode with Brian Cranston. Here you go deaf instead of having your head explode.
 
N

Nowise10

Member
This kind of reminds me, when I was in high school we watched a video I think in my physics class, and it claimed some scientist dude created a device that could knock down any building or structure using a set rhythm of vibrations where it would slowly cause the building to sway until it collapsed, but he destroyed it and its design so it wouldn't be used for harm.

Have never heard about it or read about it anywhere other then from that video we watched in high school, so I don't even know if its true.
 
L

Lunar15

Member
It's so fucking tough for me to not jump to conspiracy with this one.

I mean, GOP would like like nothing more than to pull out of Cuba and cut ties again, now they're doing just that?

Someone doesn't want the US in Cuba, and I really don't think it's Cuba.
 
B

Beartruck

Member
Nowise10 said:
This kind of reminds me, when I was in high school we watched a video I think in my physics class, and it claimed some scientist dude created a device that could knock down any building or structure using a set rhythm of vibrations where it would slowly cause the building to sway until it collapsed, but he destroyed it and its design so it wouldn't be used for harm.

Have never heard about it or read about it anywhere other then from that video we watched in high school, so I don't even know if its true.
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It was an old rumor with Tesla that he created an earthquake machine that went out of control and he smashed it with a hammer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla%27s_oscillator#.22Earthquake.22_claims
 
Trojita

Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
Nowise10 said:
This kind of reminds me, when I was in high school we watched a video I think in my physics class, and it claimed some scientist dude created a device that could knock down any building or structure using a set rhythm of vibrations where it would slowly cause the building to sway until it collapsed, but he destroyed it and its design so it wouldn't be used for harm.

Have never heard about it or read about it anywhere other then from that video we watched in high school, so I don't even know if its true.
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I found what you were talking about, it is Tesla's Oscillator.

There's no proof of what it supposedly did
 
S

Skellig Gra

Member
Lunar15 said:
It's so fucking tough for me to not jump to conspiracy with this one.

I mean, GOP would like like nothing more than to pull out of Cuba and cut ties again, now they're doing just that?

Someone doesn't want the US in Cuba, and I really don't think it's Cuba.
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Well its definitely SOME sort of conspiracy. Just a matter of who is behind it.
 
Hari Seldon

Hari Seldon

Member
Lunar15 said:
It's so fucking tough for me to not jump to conspiracy with this one.

I mean, GOP would like like nothing more than to pull out of Cuba and cut ties again, now they're doing just that?

Someone doesn't want the US in Cuba, and I really don't think it's Cuba.
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It is so obviously Russia lol. I mean if we were betting on all outcomes Russia would be the easy odds favorite lol.
 
J

Joe Shlabotnik

Banned
devilhawk said:
I doubt the purpose of the device is to make people deaf. It likely is transmitting data at that frequency and was only tested to ensure that is wasn't audible and not to ensure that it wasn't harmful.
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There are long-range sonic devices that can transmit sound in a hyper-focused beam. You could hear voices in your head while the person next to you hears nothing. They’re weapons.
 
R

RSTEIN

Comics, serious business!
I heard a security expert on one of the morning shows say that these type of devices have been used for decades and the US routinely uses them.
 
M

Mivey

Member
Wasn't there an analysis by scientists, that argue that a device that can cause such effects while using sonar waves below the hearing barrier is pretty much silly science fiction?
At least before I hear a competent hypothesis of how this should work, I'll call this dubious at best.
 
R

Rootbeer

Banned
They should deploy devices that can detect these sorts of attacks at all foreign embassies. Really saddening that anyone would stoop to that.
 
I

IggyChooChoo

Member
Hari Seldon said:
It is so obviously Russia lol. I mean if we were betting on all outcomes Russia would be the easy odds favorite lol.
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Candidates would likely be people who a) want to sabotage US/Cuba detente, b) have the means, and c) be willing to genuinely injure diplomats.

Assuming the Castro government is not behind it, you've got:
-Rogue elements within the Castro government.
-Anti-communist hardliners from the US
-The Russians

The Russians seem like the best candidates between a, b, and c to me too.
 
B

BlastProcessing

Member
IggyChooChoo said:
Candidates would likely be people who a) want to sabotage US/Cuba detente, b) have the means, and c) be willing to genuinely injure diplomats.

Assuming the Castro government is not behind it, you've got:
-Rogue elements within the Castro government.
-Anti-communist hardliners from the US
-The Russians

The Russians seem like the best candidates between a, b, and c to me too.
Click to expand...

It could also be some completely unrelated 3rd Party actor who wanted to use Cuba as a testing ground.
 
N

NYCmetsfan

Banned
IggyChooChoo said:
Candidates would likely be people who a) want to sabotage US/Cuba detente, b) have the means, and c) be willing to genuinely injure diplomats.

Assuming the Castro government is not behind it, you've got:
-Rogue elements within the Castro government.
-Anti-communist hardliners from the US
-The Russians

The Russians seem like the best candidates between a, b, and c to me too.
Click to expand...

Russia wants rapprochement with the US why would they sabotage relations with a third party country? Especially when, if its them, it will eventually come out

My guess is 1) its a natural phenom or 2) its mass delusion (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_psychogenic_illness)
 
S

Stranya

Member
Mivey said:
Wasn't there an analysis by scientists, that argue that a device that can cause such effects while using sonar waves below the hearing barrier is pretty much silly science fiction?
At least before I hear a competent hypothesis of how this should work, I'll call this dubious at best.
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From the BBC's coverage:

Using an inaudible sound device for a stealth attack "is quite plausible from a technical point of view", Denis Bedat, a specialist in bio-electromagnetics, told AFP news agency this week.
"Ultrasonic waves, beyond the acoustic capacity of humans, can be broadcast with an amplifier, and the device does not need to be large, or used inside or outside a house."
He gave as an example the Active Denial System (ADS), an anti-riot gun used by US police forces that emits electromagnetic waves which produce a sudden unbearable burning sensation.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41446697
 
S

ShowDog

Member
Imperfected said:
Assuming you mean a small device that simulates sound by stimulating the small bones of the ear, uh... they're called hearing aids, and yes, they exist. The MGS codec is just a radio using a hearing aid as a speaker.
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Wat about the part where no one hears you talking into it
 
L

low-G

Member
ShowDog said:
Wat about the part where no one hears you talking into it
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I read an article about a decade ago, I believe you can vocalize with some of these setups without talking normally, but you wouldn’t be able to whisper when you’re sneaking up 2 feet behind some soldier to snap his neck.
 
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