‘Naturally, it’s great, Charles — but I’ve got a bit of a hangover.’ On 23 February 1963, one month after the signing of the Élysée Treaty, German cartoonist Manfred Oesterle takes an ironic look at the new Franco-German reconciliation. From left to right: French President Charles de Gaulle and Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer as happy partygoers at a cabaret evening. Germania, depicted as a dancing girl, is flanked by two Mariannes, demonstrating the dominance of France within the Franco-German partnership and denoting the slant that General de Gaulle wanted to give the Élysée Treaty. To General de Gaulle’s great regret, the scope of the Franco-German treaty was limited by a vote in the German Bundestag for the inclusion of an accompanying preamble that emphasises Atlantic military integration, cooperation with the United States, respect for the European Communities and the importance of admitting the United Kingdom and the other candidate countries as EC Member States.