‘“Pompidou!” “My general?” “These glasses are irritating me…” (Strikes, Europe)’. On 17 May 1962, two days after the press conference held by General de Gaulle in which he reaffirmed his view of a ‘Europe of states’, the French cartoonist Esenti paints an ironic picture of how President de Gaulle sees France’s position on the international stage. While the strikes affecting the country (coal mines and railways) and the vision of a supranational Europe seem to be irritating Charles de Gaulle — who complains openly about them to his Prime Minister Georges Pompidou —, the Head of State dreams of a policy of independence and grandeur for France. General de Gaulle imagines a US President (John F. Kennedy, on the left) and a Soviet leader (Nikita S. Khrushchev, on the right) greeting the French President with respect and deference, as they would have greeted the Sun King. Under his arm de Gaulle is carrying the nuclear deterrent, emphasising France’s role as a member of the very select club of nuclear nations and therefore its influence in the world.