‘We all agree on the fact that Europe must at last stand as one!’ On 15 August 1960, in the Dutch daily newspaper Algemeen Handelsblad, Fritz Behrendt portrays the conflict between the views held by Harold Macmillan, Konrad Adenauer and General de Gaulle on the leadership of the European Community.

‘Listen to me, gentlemen!’ For Fritz Behrendt, a Dutch cartoonist originally from Berlin, General de Gaulle is demonstrating his determination to see France take a leading role in the international arena and the world. From left to right: British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev are convened by General de Gaulle, whose imposing size and stature dwarf the other leaders. On the wall, a global map shows a huge France at the centre of the world, while the portraits of General de Gaulle as Joan of Arc, Napoleon and Louis XIV (the ‘Sun King’) emphasise the oversized ego of the French President, who would like to play a leading role in European history.

‘Just one love: France.’ In February 1962, according to Opland, Dutch cartoonist, the attitude of General de Gaulle, embodied by Cyrano de Bergerac, in matters of foreign policy, bears some resemblance to a romantic tragedy.

‘His dream …’ In March 1964, cartoonist Hans Geisen illustrates the Gaullist concept of France’s international role, ironically portraying the inflated ego of General de Gaulle, President of the French Republic, who would like to play a leading role in European history while breaking free from US control. The Federal Republic of Germany is represented by a little ‘German Michel’ sitting on General de Gaulle’s lap.

In July 1964, Roland Sadoun, Director of the French Public Opinion Institute (IFOP), outlines French public opinion with regard to France’s foreign policy.

‘"France is working to establish a new equilibrium" — de Gaulle.' In May 1965, in the British left-wing Sunday newspaper The Observer, the cartoonist Abu portrays General de Gaulle's desire for national sovereignty by emphasising the role that he intends to play on the international scene.

General Charles de Gaulle, President of the Provisional Government of the French Republic from 1945 to 1946 then President of the French Republic from 1 June 1958 to 28 April 1969.

On 27 November 1967, General de Gaulle, President of the French Republic, holds a press conference at the Élysée Palace in which he expresses his support for an international monetary system based on gold, in order to be better equipped to fight against the risks of inflation.