Despite the bellicose rhetoric coming from President Trump, the White House has quietly engaged in back channel diplomacy with North Korea for months, a new report said Friday.

The talks focused on Americans imprisoned in the communist dictatorship and fraying relations between the long-time foes, The Associated Press reported.

The two sides had discussions to secure the June release of an American university student, who arrived back home in a coma and later died.

But it wasn’t known until now that the contacts have continued, or that they have broached matters other than US detainees.