A couple of nights ago PSGP and PI-1 were in deep slumber in their seaside apartment when a high pitched noise sprang up in the wee hours. It took only moments to identify the sound as a cricket, which somehow had gained entry to their bedroom though it’s on the top floor three stories up, and the exterior doors were shut. What followed was a comedy of errors, as PSGP tried in vain to pinpoint the noise and eject the interloper, while PI-1 cursed all of creation because insects were now conspiring to disturb her sleep. They ended up moving out of the bedroom. The next day PSGP had another look around, and after a more careful examination located the cricket—outside on the balcony. It had never gained entry to the flat in the first place. It was just that loud and disorienting. This is an absolutely true story, and even the timeline is factual. It really did happen night before last.
So imagine our surprise when an item came across the wires this morning about the infamous Havana Syndrome. You know the one. U.S. embassy personnel stationed in Cuba, beginning in 2016, reported mysterious sounds in the building, which brought on headaches, dizziness, tinnitus, balance problems, and other weird effects. Our first reaction was to ponder what Cuba or Russia had to gain from quasi-effectual sonic attacks. We felt it would be pretty risky behavior, liable to bring about serious reprisals. But luckily there are these people called scientists, and they have a way of studying things until they find answers, and yesterday the most likely cause of the dastardly Havana Syndrome was revealed to be crickets.
The JASON Group, an independent organization of scientists that works with the U.S. government, analyzed recordings made by embassy personnel and found only one phenomenon to be a sonic match—the Indies short-tailed cricket. There the sneaky bugger is just below. This mystery was actually unravelled back in 2019, but the report was classified. Let’s face it—when you have top level Cuban figures defensively trying to explain that they have no sonic or energy
weapons, and the American press is pretty much dismissing those claims, you keep the pressure on.
But there’s a catch—experts come in many stripes, and many non-JASON scientists who know lots about crickets, sound waves, and technology note that sonic weapon frequencies wouldn’t be recordable, and the enemy attack theory is thus unaffected. In other words, the recordings given to JASON scientists weren’t of the actual phenomenon in question. Well, okay, but we prefer crickets. Please let it be crickets. Either way, though, whether Havana Syndrome is the work of crickets or spies, this strange story is pulp—at least as far as we’re concerned.
March 2026 update: This story has taken a fascinating turn via a recent broadcast on the long running U.S. news show 60 Minutes. A transcript is posted on the CBS website here. You should read it.
