3 Held in Plot to Sell Iraq U.S. Helicopters

A retired Army colonel and two other men face charges of trying to sell U.S. military helicopters adapted for spraying chemicals to Iraq. U.S. Customs Service agents posing as prospective buyers of the 34 Bell OH-58As helicopters negotiated a purchase with retired Col. Robert Fairchild, 53, of Little Rock, Ark., and Donald Proven, 56, a former Marine from Chicago, the agency said. The agents believe they were bidding against another buyer, who intended to ship the helicopters to Iraq. Fairchild and Proven were arrested in Jupiter, Fla., and the third man, George Finlay, 47, of Canada--the helicopters’ owner--was arrested in Bloomfield, Canada, and the helicopters were seized.