Forensic Research Archive of Manipulation and Exploitation
Joyeux Noël, 1954 US cartoon: A man labelled Mendes-France sits dazed on the floor, a halo of stars circling his head

Joyeux Noël

A man labelled Mendes-France sits dazed on the floor, a halo of stars circling his head, beneath a toppled Christmas tree labelled French Assembly; a drum labelled German Rearmament lies crushed beside him. The cartoon argues that the French Assembly's action upended the premier's holiday plans; the technique is a weak fit for card-stacking, one dramatic image standing in for a multi-sided policy dispute.

Propaganda techniques used in this cartoon

Card stacking
Date
December 26, 1954
Period
Cold War
Made by
Washington Evening Star (cartoonist Jim Berryman)
Region
North America
Country
United States
Medium
Cartoon
Issuer type
Media
Regime
Eisenhower Administration
Leader
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Audience
Domestic public
Purpose
Persuade or win support
Themes
War and the military, Elections and party politics
Event
Cold War
Source
Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
Source
U.S. National Archives (NARA), Records of the U.S. Senate, Jim Berryman Political Cartoons, retrieved October 3, 2026
Rights
Public domain (U.S. government work)
Jim Berryman, Washington Evening Star. National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the U.S. Senate, 5743195 (NAID 5743195).

Text on the object

Original (English) · read from the image, not independently checked

JOYEUX NOËL
FRENCH ASSEMBLY
MENDES-FRANCE
GERMAN REARMAMENT
Jim Berryman Washington Star

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