WASHINGTON: Marshal Stalin told the western powers in 1945 that the Soviet Union wanted to acquire colonies in Africa, it was revealed here yesterday. Marshal Stalin dropped his demand when it became apparent that the US and Britain were opposed to it.The Soviet aspiration to become a colonial power in Africa is recorded in the hitherto secret documents of the Potsdam Papers which the State Department released yesterday.

The documents show that Marshal Stalin told US President Truman and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill that the Soviet Union wanted to be made trustee of Italy’s colonies on the African continent.

The Soviet request touched off a verbal clash between Marshal Stalin and Mr Churchill who told the Soviet premier that he had “not considered the possibility of Russia claiming territory in the Mediterranean”.

Mr Churchill said that Britain was “not expecting to gain out of the war”. He said that he had visited the Italian colonies of Tripoli and Cyrenaica and “had seen reclamation work done by the Italians which was of an admirable character”.

At present, he said, “the British held these colonies”, and asked, “Who wanted them? If there were claimants they should put forward their claims”.

Mr Truman said the United States “does not want them”. Marshal Stalin, however, said that the Soviets “were anxious to receive mandates for certain territories”. Mr Churchill countered by saying that this question belonged to the discussion of the peace treaty.

Stalin inquired if Mr Churchill was suggesting that the present conference was not competent to settle this question. Mr Churchill replied that it was not competent to settle the mater that was for the peace conference.— Agencies