‘But dear Charles, have you thought about a ménage à trois? The French are rather used to that, aren’t they?’ On 22 January 1963, as the Élysée Treaty is signed by France and Germany, British cartoonist Michael Cummings takes an ironic look at the Franco-German duo and the ménage à trois proposed by Federal Chancellor Adenauer (depicted as Gretchen) to French President Charles de Gaulle. For the Federal Chancellor, rapprochement with the United Kingdom seems at least as important as with his French partner. But this does not seem to please General de Gaulle, who is very unhappy about the situation. On his uniform we see a lapel badge which sums up his attitude towards the United Kingdom: ‘beware of perfidious Albion’. On the right, British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan seems rather wary of France’s potential reaction. On 14 January 1963, Charles de Gaulle vetoed the United Kingdom’s entry into the European Common Market. To General de Gaulle’s great regret, the scope of the Franco-German Treaty will be limited by the adoption in the German Bundestag of an explanatory preamble emphasising, among other points, the need to allow the United Kingdom to accede to the European Communities.