Science · Government & military
Howard Percy Robertson
Mathematical physicist and scientific advisory chair
Also known as H. P. Robertson · Howard P. Robertson · Bob Robertson
Who they are
Howard Percy Robertson was a mathematical physicist working on relativity, geometry and cosmology, with a parallel career in government scientific advice. He chaired the CIA-convened January 1953 panel on UFO reports. The panel’s assessment addressed selected evidence and concerns about reporting systems and public reactions.
He connects foundational physics with a specific government review of UFO evidence.
Selected contributions
Primary records
Report · 1953
Report of Meetings of the Office of Scientific Intelligence Scientific Advisory Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects, January 14–18, 1953
Durant records the panel’s meetings and supplements its formal conclusions with discussion of reporting overload, education and security concerns. The text distinguishes the panel’s recommendations from evidence about particular sightings.
Covering memorandum dated February 16, 1953; later NCAS transcription.
Reading scope & citation
Covering memorandum and meeting narrative freshly read; prior supporting-text inspection of recommendations reused. Government archival scan not rechecked.
In the timeline
- Jan 14, 1953 – Jan 18, 1953The Robertson Panel reviews UFO reports and recommends public education
Biography sources
- Durant report on the Robertson Panel ↗CIA; text reproduced by NCAS
- Howard Percy Robertson ↗MacTutor History of Mathematics, University of St Andrews