On 12 May 1945, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill sends a telegram to US President Harry Truman in which he expresses his concerns at the future of the European situation and the relations between the Western Allies and Moscow. The announcement of a mass withdrawal of US troops from Europe may leave the continent defenceless against an increasingly expansionist Russia whose political agenda remains uncertain. Winston Churchill, very concerned by Russia’s attitude in the regions it occupies militarily, already refers to an iron curtain being drawn down in Eastern Europe.

‘The thirteenth labour of Hercules.’ On 27 September 1947, the cartoonist Woop portrays the dangers of the Cold War for world peace. Europe, divided into two blocs, finds itself at the centre of the indirect confrontation between the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union.

„Tante Europa: Man hat’s nicht leicht, wenn man zwischen zwei sehr aktiven Nachbarn wohnt.“ Für den deutschen Karikaturisten Ernst Maria Lang drohen die Spannungen zwischen der Sowjetunion und den Vereinigten Staaten den Wiederaufbau Europas im Jahr 1947 zu behindern.

‘They are in control — and they just go round and round …’ On 17 January 1948, in a period of increasing hostility between the United States and the Soviet Union, the German cartoonist Ernst Maria Lang portrays the harrowing situation of post-war Europe, held hostage to the tensions between Moscow and Washington.

On 22 January 1948, addressing the House of Commons, the British Foreign Secretary, Ernest Bevin, condemns the Soviet Union’s political ambitions and calls for greater unity amongst the countries of Western Europe.

Am 13. März 1948 hält der belgische Premierminister und Außenminister Paul-Henri Spaak in Luxemburg einen Vortrag, in dem er die Hintergründe für die Uneinigkeit der Großmächte hinsichtlich es zukünftigen Status Deutschlands schildert.

On 17 March 1948, against the background of the Cold War between the two superpowers — the United States and the Soviet Union — the Dutch daily newspaper Het Parool questions Europe’s role and position on the international scene.

On 30 January 1949, reviewing Raymond Aron’s book on the Cold War entitled The Great Schism, the Brussels weekly newspaper Le Phare Dimanche questions Europe’s role and position on the world scene.

‘After Uncle Sam’s fruitless attempts to control European politicians, Stalin could succeed by employing more flexible means.’ In January 1951, the German satirical magazine Der Tintenfisch portrays a Europe in the Cold War period that is at the centre of international issues.

US President Harry Truman (right) and former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (left) on their way to Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, on 4 March 1946.

On 5 March 1946, accompanied by US President Harry Truman, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill visits Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, where he gives his famous address on the dangers of Soviet expansionism.

On 5 March 1946, Winston Churchill gives an address at Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, in which he warns Western countries about the advance of Communism in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

Am 5. März 1946 hält der ehemalige britische Premierminister Winston Churchill eine berühmte Rede am Westminister College in Fulton, Missouri, in der er die westliche Welt vor dem Vorrücken des Kommunismus in den Ländern Mittel- und Osteuropas und der Errichtung eines „Eisernen Vorhangs" warnt.

On 5 March 1946, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gives an address at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, in which he warns the West of the worrying spread of Communism in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

On 6 March 1946, commenting on the address given by Winston Churchill in Fulton, Missouri, the Dutch daily newspaper Het Parool considers the question of Soviet expansionism.

On 6 March 1946, British cartoonist Illingworth illustrates the address given by Winston Churchill at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, in which the former British Prime Minister warns the Western countries of the advance of Communism in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. He particularly deplores the construction of an ‘iron curtain’ separating the European States under Soviet influence from the countries of Western Europe.

On 6 March 1946, the Dutch daily newspaper De Volkskrant publishes the main points of the address given by former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri.

In an interview with a correspondent from Pravda, Joseph Stalin responds vehemently to the address given by Winston Churchill on 5 March 1946 in Fulton, Missouri.

Am 9. März 1946 analysiert die französische Tageszeitung Le Monde die internationalen Reaktionen auf die Rede, die Winston Churchill vier Tage zuvor im Westminster College in Fulton (Missouri) gehalten hat.

In March 1946, the Soviet daily newspaper Pravda outlines the reactions in the foreign press to the interview given by Stalin concerning Winston Churchill's speech in Fulton.

On 28 September 1948, Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, addresses the United Nations General Assembly and denounces Soviet policy. He gives the speech of fear.

In December 1948, the Belgian monthly publication Les cahiers socialistes harshly criticises the address given by Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, on 28 September 1948 to the United Nations General Assembly.