SPU: Cast
NAS Squantum, back when the Navy was in charge.
On May 24th, 1943, Special Projects Unit Cast was established at the Squantum Naval Air Station (NAS) in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Officially, the secret operation was for the testing of airborne radar systems, then still a relatively new technology. The program was based out of M.I.T. in Cambridge, but because NAS Squantum was the nearest naval air field, the Quincy location became the home of all the actual in-flight testing of the technology.
It was also the official host of a government program that eventually came to be known as the United States Vampire Service. That’s right, Quincy is home to two U.S. Presidents, the first Howard Johnsons, and a bug killing operation!
NAS Squantum was the perfect place to house the bug killers for many reasons. First of all, it was a military base with tight security even for a hard target. Secondly, nobody talked about what they did there due to the nature of the private programs, so it didn’t arouse suspicion when things were covered in tarps and moved around quietly. Third, it was both an airport and a deep-port harbor, with easy access to major roadways. The team could get to just about anywhere in the world without having to parade in front of civilians.
The USVS stayed at NAS Squantum even when SPU: Cast was disestablished in December of 1946, though it did eventually have to move for other reasons — one of which being the closing of NAS Squantum in 1953.
