‘Can we play?’ On 23 January 1988, on the 25th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty, German cartoonist Klaus Espermüller illustrates the influence of the Franco-German duo on the international stage alongside the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union. French President François Mitterrand (on the right) and Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl (on the left), holding hands, would like to play in the big league with Uncle Sam (United States) and the Soviet Bear.