California Gov. Ronald Reagan referred to some Africans as “monkeys” in a 1971 phone call with President Richard Nixon, according to recently released audio.

The two talked over the phone as Reagan lamented on United Nations delegates who sided against the U.S. in a vote to recognize the People’s Republic of China. Nixon told his deputy national security adviser, Al Haig, to cancel any future meeting with an African leader that sided against the U.S. on Taiwan.