Cartoon by Tim on the Franco-German duo and British accession to the EEC (13 September 1962)

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‘Common Market. The longest day.’ On 13 September 1962, French cartoonist Tim illustrates the resistance from France and Germany to the British application for accession to the Common Market. Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, depicted as a British soldier, is trying to land on the European continent (Common Market), whose shores are defended by French President de Gaulle and his ally, German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, shown wearing a Wehrmacht uniform. The title ‘The longest day’ refers to the 1962 US war film about the Allied landings in Normandy on 6 June 1944. By alluding to the historical reality — during the Second World War, France and the United Kingdom were allies in the struggle against Nazi Germany — the cartoon highlights the ludicrous nature of the situation and the irrational aspect of the debates on the question of British accession to the Common Market.

Source and copyright

Source: TIM (Louis Mitelberg). "Le jour le plus long. Marché commun" dans L'Express. Paris: L'Express. 13.09.1962, n°587, p. 3.

Copyright: (c) Mitelberg, Adagp

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Cartoon by Tim on the Franco-German duo and British accession to the EEC (13 September 1962)