The largest group of correspondence in the collection relates to Russia. Cridler waged an extensive diplomatic campaign to ensure Russian participation at the Fair. On one occasion he describes his three weeks in St. Petersburg as "frequently trying." The Russian government eventually agreed to appoint Serge Alexandrovsky as Russian Commissioner General and committed to "arranging an excellent exhibit." Though Cridler believed he had achieved "complete success" in recruiting Russia, the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War in February 1904 forced Russia to cancel its exhibit.