No, I think the "sphere of influence" that Churchill and Roosevelt had in mind was much less militarily oriented. Based on Source 17, Stalin planned on keeping a firm grip on these nations with his powerful troops. Churchill and Roosevelt merely agreed to let him set up governments there, essentially Communist puppet governments. The fact that he felt the need to control them with his army as well shows some distrust he felt for the other two leaders.
2. Would they agree with Stalin’s views expressed in Sources 17 and 18? Explain your answer.
No, Stalin expresses rather anti-U.S.A. and Great Britain sentiments in source 18. The tone sounds almost annoyed at the two countries for interfering, as he thinks he didn't interfere with Greece. He believes they should return the favor. I believe Churchill and Roosevelt would think that Stalin was thinking of mounting a conquest of all of Europe through Poland, where as Greece was crucial for Great Britain's security. I think they would agree to some extent with source 17. Although they would not think it was the ideal method of imposing ideology, I think the two leaders would acknowledge that a large army certainly helps.
3. Explain how each of the three developments described in the text might affect relationships at Potsdam.
The fact that Stalin was keeping his troops in eastern Europe was very threatening to the other leaders at the conference. Although he claimed it was to prevent further attacks, the war in Europe was over, so naturally the leaders were dubious. Truman's anti-communist tendencies certainly didn't help Stalin's image in his eyes either. Truman, with the newfound power of the atomic bomb under his belt, felt like he could genuinely go toe to toe with Stalin if need be. The three developments probably made for a tense conference.
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