Conchita Sarnoff Woolsey, wife of former CIA Director James Woolsey, revealed that her husband suffered from 'Havana Syndrome' in the last years of his life, the mysterious health condition that has affected hundreds of American diplomats and intelligence personnel.

Woolsey, 84, died on Tuesday after suffering a stroke at his home in Washington, having served as CIA director for two years under former President Bill Clinton in the early 1990s, making him one of the highest-ranking American officials said to have been afflicted with the syndrome.

His wife told The Washington Post: 'We traveled the world looking for a cure or a way to alleviate the illness, but unfortunately we did not find any treatment.'

She added that her husband's health began to deteriorate as a direct result of his contracting Havana Syndrome, which causes symptoms including ear pain, memory loss, fatigue, migraines, dizziness, cognitive disorders, and hearing impairment.

According to his wife, Woolsey's symptoms began after an incident in Washington in 2017, followed by another incident in Istanbul the following year.

Since the first cases were reported in the Cuban capital Havana in 2016, more than 1,500 cases have been reported among American intelligence and diplomatic personnel in dozens of countries, including the United States.

In June, former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard rescinded two controversial assessments issued during the Biden administration, which had concluded that Havana Syndrome — classified by the U.S. government as 'Anomalous Health Incidents' (AHI) — was unlikely to be caused by attacks carried out by foreign entities against American personnel.

The Republican-led House Intelligence Committee had demanded in January that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence withdraw those assessments, amid growing evidence suggesting that a weapon using microwave technology might be responsible for these mysterious cases.

Multiple sources earlier told the New York Post that U.S. intelligence agencies internally believe Russia may be behind these attacks.

In a related development, CBS News reported in March that undercover American agents purchased a miniature microwave weapon from a Russian criminal network in 2024 for about $15 million, as part of a program supported by the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) to investigate the causes of Havana Syndrome.

The report added that the weapon, whose details remain classified, was tested on animals in a U.S. military laboratory and caused neurological injuries similar to those experienced by Havana Syndrome sufferers.

The CIA did not immediately respond to requests for comment on this information.

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