Screecher creatures’ Cuba clue

IT SOUNDS SORT of like a mass of crickets. Ahigh-pitched whine, but from what?

It seems to undulate, even writhe. Listening closely, some hear multiple, distinct tones colliding in a nails-on-the-chalkboard effect.

The Associated Press has obtained a recording of what some U.S. Embassy workers heard in Havana, part of a series of incidents later deemed deliberate attacks. The recording is the first disseminated publicly of the many taken in Cuba of sounds that led investigators initially to suspect a sonic weapon.

The recordings from Havana have been sent to the U.S. Navy, which has advanced capabilities for analyzing acoustic signals, and to the intelligence services for analysis, The AP has learned. But the recordings have not significantly advanced U.S. knowledge about what is harming diplomats.

Officials say the government still doesn’t know what is responsible for injuries to its personnel, but the U.S. has blamed Cuba for failing to protect American diplomats on its soil.

The Navy and the State Department did not respond to requests for comment on the recording. Cuba has denied involvement or knowledge of the attacks.

At least 22 Americans are “medically confirmed” to be affected, the State Department says, adding the number could grow.

The attacks started last year and are considered “ongoing,” with an incident reported as recently as late August.