Editorial Cartoonists of the Atlanta Journal and Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) :: Lou Erickson ("Eric") – The South’s Gentle Satirist

DENTE (WITH OVERLAY)

Artist: Lou Erickson (Penciller)

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DENTE (OVERLAY)

The Atlanta Journal (Atlanta, Georgia) · Thu, Feb 12, 1976 · Page 22

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“Check Out That Barrel” – Lou Erickson Original Editorial Cartoon (Published Dec. 29, 1976, The Atlanta Journal)

Artwork Details

Title:	DENTE (WITH OVERLAY)
Artist:	Lou Erickson (Penciller)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Sketch Card
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	48
Likes on CAF:	0 1
Comments:	2
Added to Site:	6/24/2025
Comic Art Archive:

Description

By February 12, 1976, détente—the policy of easing Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union—was showing signs of strain, even as it remained a defining feature of U.S. foreign policy under Presidents Nixon and Ford. The term itself, French for “relaxation,” had come to symbolize a period of cautious cooperation between the two superpowers, marked by arms control agreements like SALT I and the Helsinki Accords of 1975.

The Soviet Union, often symbolized in Western political cartoons and rhetoric as a bear, represented both the formidable power and the unpredictable nature of America’s Cold War rival. The bear metaphor captured the duality of détente: while the U.S. sought to tame or coexist with the Soviet bear through diplomacy, there remained deep mistrust about its intentions and behavior.

By early 1976, critics of détente in the U.S. were growing louder, arguing that the bear was not being tamed but rather emboldened. They pointed to Soviet actions in Angola and continued military buildup as signs that détente was being exploited. The metaphor of “feeding the bear” without restraining it became a common refrain among skeptics who feared that diplomacy was enabling Soviet expansionism rather than containing it.

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	Alan E Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	May 2025
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	UNITED STATES
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Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005

Posted on 6/24/2025

You can trust a bear as much as you can trust a leopard (who will eat your face).

Alan E
Member Since 2025

1 - Posted on 6/24/2025

Marcus Wai wrote:

You can trust a bear as much as you can trust a leopard (who will eat your face).

There once was a bear full of grace, Who invited a friend to his place. But the leopard, quite sly, With a glint in his eye, Said, “I trust you too... now hand me your face.”

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