The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome by Brazen — Podcast Rankings & Episodes

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Date	Pocket Casts
Oct 1	#66

About the show

In December 2016, a US official in Havana went to the embassy medical centre to report a debilitating and confounding illness. The symptoms included headaches; nausea; hearing loss; problems with memory and vision – and its onset was characterized by hearing… something. A buzzing, hissing, grinding… sound. Soon, a second official came down with the same symptoms. Then a third. Then a fourth. By the time the story went public in summer 2017, dozens of US diplomats, as well as some Canadians, had come down with what was becoming known as “Havana Syndrome.” In this deep dive investigation, journalist Nicky Woolf peels back the layers of one of the most bizarre mysteries of the modern age. The Sound is a story about spycraft, technology, and the brain. It’s a story where, at every turn, you’re never quite sure what’s real and what’s an illusion. It’s a story about how the Cold War, maybe, never really ended. The Sound is a Project Brazen production. For more fearless storytelling, search for the Brazen channel on Apple Podcasts or visit brazen.fm, home to all our podcasts, documentaries and newsletters. At Brazen, we show you how the world really works – from espionage and corruption to deal-making and organised crime, we’ll take you inside stories from hidden worlds. Don’t stay in the dark. Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts or at brazen.fm/plus and get exclusive bonus episodes, as well as ad-free listening and early access to new podcasts. For the latest from Brazen delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters at brazen.fm/newsletters. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/

Latest episodes

Bonus: The Music Behind The Sound with Attacca Quartet

April 24, 2023 · 31 min

A behind-the-scenes conversation with Attacca Quartet, the Grammy Award-winning group that composed and performed the haunting string melodies in THE SOUND: Mystery of Havana Syndrome. Lead producer Max Johnson and audio engineer Rebecca…
Bonus: Live from the International Spy Museum

April 11, 2023 · 54 min

This week’s episode comes in collaboration with SpyCast, a podcast featuring in-depth conversations from the world of global intelligence and espionage. In this bonus, you’ll get to listen in on a panel discussion recorded live at the…
Hammers and Nails

March 13, 2023 · 40 min

We answer our central question: What happened here? And we try to chart the path forward for “Havana Syndrome” victims. The Sound is a Project Brazen production. Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts or at brazen.fm/plus and get…
The Two Exits

March 6, 2023 · 33 min

Host Nicky Woolf goes to the scenes of the alleged crime in Cuba where we find “the sound” and see the human impact of the Havana Syndrome story. The US Embassy has reopened just as Cubans leave the island en masse. The Sound is a Project…
Bonus: Fresh Doubts out of Washington

March 1, 2023 · 14 min

While we were crafting our last few episodes, some big news dropped. A new report from the CIA and other intel agencies found that no foreign actor, attack or technology could be behind the Anomalous Health Incidents, aka Havana Syndrome…
A Silent Injury

February 27, 2023 · 35 min

A CIA officer in Moscow gets sick, and his story fundamentally changes the narrative surrounding “Havana Syndrome.” We hear first-hand accounts of Soviet radiation that go back decades, and learn that the Cold War may have never really…
The Great British Nuke Off

February 20, 2023 · 34 min

Nicky heads to the UK to build a microwave device that could be the key to the mystery of Havana Syndrome. And we take a deep-dive into the American military industrial complex to see what the future of warfare and weaponry looks like. Is…
The Frey Effect

February 13, 2023 · 36 min

The Havana Syndrome story is bigger than Cuba now. Cases are being reported on nearly every continent, so some investigators propose a new, strange theory. We wade into the science to see if Havana Syndrome is just the latest in a long…