said yesterday.

The co-anchor of ABC's PrimeTime Live also defended the December 10 television programme which depicted the Base as the Navy's "Club Med''.

Commanding Officer Capt. James Arnold, who left the Island yesterday for a new post in Norfolk, Virginia, this week described the programme as "hype'' and "infotainment'' riddled with "distortions''.

Three Inspector General probes resulted from the programme. But the only allegation against the Base that was upheld was the misuse of military vehicles, Capt. Arnold said.

The captain read aloud from a report by Vice-Chief of Naval Operations S.R.

Arthur that he said vindicated the Base. But he would not provide a copy to The Royal Gazette .

Mr. Donaldson said Capt. Arnold "was welcome to make any observation'' he wished, but "I'm telling you that we were very careful about what we had on the air, to have it nailed down.'' Many other allegations were made but not aired because there was not enough time or evidence to confirm them, he said.

Mr. Donaldson said he and his staff continued to keep tabs on the Base. He was repeatedly told by the Navy an investigation into the programme's allegations was continuing, but "we learned about two weeks ago that in fact in April an investigation had been completed.'' PrimeTime Live has filed a Freedom of Information request to receive a copy of the report, he said.

Before leaving Bermuda, Capt. Arnold said he expected a 50 percent cut in the number of military personnel at the Base in the next 15 months. But he did not feel a closure was imminent.

Mr. Donaldson said he did not know when the Base would close, but said: "The Base is going to be closed; there just isn't any doubt about that.'' He felt talks with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, which recently invested $32 million at the Base, had delayed an announcement.

"They just don't have a mission for it, and they're not going to be able to find a mission for it,'' Mr. Donaldson said of the Base.

The newsman said he believed Capt. Arnold's transfer was routine and not related to the PrimeTime Live report.

Capt. Arnold was "caught in the middle'' in trying to keep all the top brass who visited the Base happy, Mr. Donaldson said. "When we came down, he had to dodge and weave while I threw all this stuff at him.'' PrimeTime Live would stay on top of the story, but was not waging a campaign to close the Base, Mr. Donaldson said.