【导读】李国钦（1892—1961）早年留学英国，是中国第一个发现钨矿并用汉字“钨”描述这一元素的人，后常驻美国纽约，从事矿产进出口贸易，成长为国际军火原料巨贾，后兼任财政部与农商部驻纽约代表。驻美期间，与胡适、王宠惠、俞大维等人过从甚密。这封信选自《北京大学图书馆藏胡适未刊书信日记》，是李国钦于1938年7月21日写给正在欧洲访问的新任驻美大使胡适的。时值日本侵华危急关头，中国军民遭受巨大牺牲，民国政府不得不迁都重庆。在这样的背景下，民国政府一改既定方案，决定参加来年在纽约和旧金山举办的世博会。
偶然从外交部长俞大维那里得知这一消息的李国钦遂以好友身份致函胡适，从朋友共识、民族大义、利害关系、华侨现况等角度展开游说，试图劝谏中国政府放弃参会。李国钦的这番论述入情入理，字里行间流露出爱国心、民族情。民国政府最终决定不以官方身份参与1939年世博会。
如今，中国已成功举办2010年上海世博会和2019年北京世界园艺博览会，各类专业博览会精彩纷呈，规模和影响都远非当年所能想见。
Dear Friend，
适之兄钧鉴：
From your itinerary I note that you will be in London today. I do hope that you had a nice visit in Paris and that you will have a good sojourn in London. October is such a long time for us to wait for your return.
依兄日程，今日当抵伦敦。诚望巴黎之行愉快，并祝伦敦之旅顺遂。约以十月为归，期亦久矣，弟等翘盼殊切。
You may recall that while you were here we discussed about the World’s Fair. If I am not mistaken， I understood from you that there was a standing resolution by the Government restricting China’s participation in any exposition. I thought that was a wise move on the part of our Government because to participate in any exposition in a half-baked manner would only do more harm than good to China. The spirit in joining any exposition or world’s fair is to bring out the best in us.
兄当记在纽约时曾与我叙及世博。倘所记无误，兄曾言我政府有一常设决议，限制中国参与任何博览会。窃以为，此乃我政府明智之举：盖因诸事不备而贸然与会，弊多利少。任一博览会之参与，皆宜彰显中华之最佳，是为要旨。
For almost a year now I have been invited by the authorities of the World’s Fair to participate directly or indirectly. I have frankly told them that while China is fighting a life and death struggle， she has neither the time nor the resources to participate in the Fair and I know that she will be excused by America. As a matter of fact， China， by her absence from the Fair， will receive much more publicity than by her participation in a poor fashion.
近一年来，世博当局几番邀我直接或间接与会。我亦坦言，值此生死存亡之际，中国必无暇他顾，亦无资财以助，我知美国必谅中国之处境。实则中国因缺席所获之宣传，将远胜以窘迫之姿态列席其中。
The Japanese publicity agent HSH wants China to participate first of all because he does not want China to say that she did not participate because of the war and secondly， because he wants China to appear very inferior to Japan.
日方公关代表休斯敦之欲中国与会，一为其不欲中国以战事为由而不参会，二为其欲使中国相形见绌于日本矣。
