The F.B.I. on Friday released a redacted portion of a 2019 report that was one of the first to argue that the mysterious ailments known as Havana syndrome were likely not the result of hostile action, and instead were the result of “social contagion.”
Some current and former officials have said the F.B.I. analysis sowed doubt within the C.I.A. and parts of the Trump administration toward the root causes of Havana syndrome and whether it was in fact a functional illness spurred by stress.
As a result, people with symptoms of Havana syndrome and their legal representatives have long disparaged the F.B.I. findings, noting that the investigators reviewed records but did not interview victims.
The New York Times obtained the executive summary of the report as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
C.I.A. officers and diplomats stationed in Cuba first reported injuries from Havana syndrome in 2016, complaining of dizziness and nausea, often after hearing a noise or feeling pressure. Later, American spies and diplomats in China, Austria and other parts of the world began reporting similar symptoms. The growing number of complaints fed intense speculation that an adversarial power could have used covert high-tech weapons, or other devices, to injure American officials.