Report: State Department tried to downplay bizarre attacks on diplomats in Cuba

The State Department is coming under fire after an internal document revealed officials knew about the extent of the injuries to its diplomats in Cuba long before it acknowledged them.

The document was from the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and it was obtained by CBS News.

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Spokesperson Heather Nauert at the State Department admitted that the attacks and conditions were occuring only after CBS News Radio reported the news on August 9.

When Nauert gave her briefing that day, she said she didn’t believe the number of injured Americans was in the tens or dozens.

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A source now claims that the State Department knew the number had gotten into double digits.

"They for sure tried to keep the numbers secret," the source apparently said.

Officials now say the sonic attacks have affected at least 21 Americans who were stationed in Havana.

SEE MORE: Tillerson says US weighing closing embassy in Cuba over sonic attacks

The symptoms began in late 2016 and investigators are trying to figure out whether covert acoustic devices were used.

Meanwhile the head of the Cuba Research Center Phil Peters calls the attacks “baffling.”