In a plain-looking apartment in the port city of Batumi, Georgia, dock-worker Guram Kakhidze has created a museum dedicated to Josef Dzhugashvili, alias Stalin. "What on earth do you need so many portraits for?" Kakhidze's wife used to complain. But she seems to have adjusted to her husband's obsession - the family now lives in one room of their three-room apartment, while relics and personal belongings of the Red dictator occupy the other two.

"Personally, I think I am not here to advertise Stalin," says Kakhidze, sporting the same haircut and moustache as Stalin - which he insists is a coincidence. "I would rather study the history of World War II, literature and memoirs."

"I started the museum back in 1956, with books and photos of Stalin at first. When the body of Stalin was removed from the mausoleum, I have to admit, I panicked somewhat initially, for they could come after his followers," he says.

Kakhidze knew many of Stalin's associates, but contact with Molotov was especially advantageous. It was through him that Kakhidze got the most precious exhibits for his personal memorial.

"I had no problem coming to Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov's house on Granovskogo Street. I could easily stay there overnight and I was a frequent guest at his dacha. Today, I can boast 61 Stalin-related items," Kakhidze says.

During his reign, Stalin was presented with numerous gifts, which he often passed on to his colleagues. In 1949, Mao Tse-tung presented Stalin with three silk cloths bearing the image of the Soviet leader. Stalin gave the cloths to Molotov and finally they found their way to Kakhidze.

"Look at this tapestry," Kakhidze says, proudly pointing to a wall-size portrait of Stalin. "It took six Belorussian weavers three years to make it. The tapestry was presented to Stalin on his 70th birthday. He then gave it to the state museum of Belarus. I knew it would be next to impossible to get it. But, I have many friends," Kakhidze says with a warm smile on his face. "And of course, I was friends with Shevardnadze."

Kakhidze's museum boasts some pieces the world's greatest museums would be proud of. One of these is Stalin's famous pipe.

The Head of GHQ Operational Services, Sergei Shtemenko, once said that out of respect no one would smoke in the company of Stalin. Shtemenko himself, however, smoked at least three packs of "Belomors" a day. On February 23, 1943, Stalin was in a jovial mood - following the recent liberation of Stalingrad by Russian troops - and decided to throw a celebration, crowned by a huge banquet. Shtemenko went out onto a balcony for a quick smoke and only a moment later noticed the smoke of his cigarette wafting straight into Stalin's face. Shtemenko immediately stubbed the cigarette out into his hand, and hurriedly put the butt in his pocket.

Stalin said, "You will burn your hands thus. And we need them, as the war is still going on. You are no longer a kid, so you can smoke. My doctors forbid smoking but I still do!" With these words, Stalin gave Shtemenko his pipe.

Kakhidze remembers that Shtemenko simply would not part with Stalin's gift. "I would rather give my house away than part with the pipe," he said. But Molotov's diplomacy and authority finally persuaded him.

Having Stalin's colleagues' help was very useful, but Kakhidze was quick to realize that no one can tell you more about a man than his relatives. So he went to Tbilisi and Moscow and met Dzhugashvili's children and grandsons.

"I have become friends with Stalin's grandson, Colonel Evgenii Dzhugashvili. He is perhaps the most interesting relative of Stalin now living. I also met Svetlana [Stalin's daughter], when she visited Tbilisi.

"She and her daughter were given two horses for riding. Svetlana rode a horse like a boy," he says with admiration.

"But frankly speaking, we did not get on well together. I went to her only to get the information I needed. But she is an odd woman.

She and Kakhidze began discussing Stalin. when, Kakhidze says, she suddenly interrupted him: "'And why are you talking in such a easy manner! He was the number one man for the state, of course, but for the family, for my mother, he meant absolutely nothing.'"

Despite volumes of material on Stalin, some of Kakhidze's stories cannot be found in any books. One such episode was when British Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited Moscow in 1942. Churchill told Stalin that he trusted the loyalty of German soldiers and officers, and trusted they would never surrender.

Stalin explained that Russia already had many German prisoners and advised him to get some rest. Two hours later, he invited Churchill to stand on the famous mausoleum as several thousand German war prisoners were marched across Red Square before him - officers, soldiers, some limping, some without legs.

Today, Kakhidze is also nostalgic about his own past. "There used to be a lot of tourists in Batumi," he says. "They all came to me and asked me about Stalin and the people I had met. Today hardly anyone comes here. My museum has become empty! I was lucky to at least have a book published. It is so difficult these days."