Cooper-Church Bill Loses First House Test

The Cooper-Church amendment-a move to limit the President's power to commit American troops in Indo-China-lost its first test in the House yesterday by a vote of 257 to 153.

The vote came on a motion to table the Military Sales Bill-the vehicle to which Cooper-Church has been attached. Anit-war forces hoped to keep the bill before the House with the object of voting it into a conference committee with the Senate.

A motion already before the House to instruct House delegates to the conference to support Cooper-Church was defeated by the vote to table it.

The bill will got to the conference with no-instructions, Rep. Thomas E. Morgan (D-Pa.), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said, "I think it will be a long conference."