Shirley Temple's bitter ex-husband tried to derail her appointment to a diplomatic post by calling her 'emotionally unstable' during her FBI background check . John George Agar told an agent in 1969 to think twice because Temple would 'overreact if she didn't get her way'. He also said that her mother had wrecked their marriage because she interfered in their affairs too much. His efforts were unsuccessful as dozens of other people including Ronald Reagan came to Temple's defense and called her a 'very courageous woman of the highest morals'. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Child star: Shirley Temple made her name as the child actor who cheered America through the Depression but in later years she was a committed Republican who wanted to serve her country . Public roles: She was initially used to fame as the star of Bright Eyes, Curly Top and Heidi, but Shirley Temple turned to public service and was US ambassador to Ghana in 1974-1976 and Czechoslovakia 1989-1992 . Bitter ex: John Agar, who was Shirley Temple's first husband, was determined to bad mouth her as the FBI launched a detailed background check when she was nominated for office by Richard Nixon. The couple married when she was 17 and were photographed (above) two years later . The claims were revealed in FBI files obtained by Daily Mail Online through Freedom of Information requests. Temple was a child star whose career began at three; she became the biggest actress in America in the 1930s and raked in an unheard of $50,000 a film after the success of movies like Bright Eyes and Curly Top. Her career ran until she was 22 at which point she began doing charity work and became well known for her Republican views, running unsuccessfully for a House seat in California in 1967. In 1969 President Nixon wanted to appoint her to the post of US representative to the UN so the FBI carried out a full background check, which included everything from her credit history to interviews with former teachers. Among those the agents spoke to was Agar, Temple's first husband who she married at 17 and divorced in 1950 at the age of 22 after they had a daughter together. Her divorce petition said that Temple had endured 'grievous mental suffering' and that Agar had subjected her to 'extreme cruelty'. When the FBI agent came to speak with Agar, the file states he told them that he had not been in contact with his ex-wife at all since they split up two decades before. The report states: 'He further stated that during his marriage her mother interfered with their affairs, which caused part of their marital problems. 'He advised he would hesitate to recommend [her] for a position of trust and confidence in the Federal government as, during their marriage, he considered her emotionally unstable in that she had a tendency to 'overreact' if she did not get her way'. Agar did however say there was 'no question' over her integrity or her associates. President Reagan, who was governor of California at the time, gave a statement through his assistant that Temple was a friend of his for 25 years and that she had served on the state Advisory Hospital Council. Political: Richard Nixon had known Shirley Temple long before he was president. They are seen in 1960 at a benefit for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Nixon was running for president and Temple a staunch Republican . Loyal: Shirley Temple with her second husband Charles Black. FBI background reports said that they had a strong marriage and that she was a committed patriot . Rescuer: Ronald Reagan had appeared alongside Shirley Temple in That Hagen Girl in 1947. He was California's governor when he and others endorsed her for office during FBI background checks, unlike her ex-husband . He said that he had the 'utmost trust and confidence' in her abilities and that he considers her 'loyalty, morals, character, reputation and associates to be beyond reproach'. The report said: 'He said he had never heard anything derogatory about (Temple) and he highly recommended her for a position of trust and responsibility in the United States government'. The picture from other people who were interviewed by the FBI was generally positive, with a few reservations. Sheriff Earl Whitmore of Redwood City in California, where Temple was living at the time, said that her 'loyalty to this country is completely unquestioned'. However Lucille Hosmer, who got to know Temple when she was running for Congress, said that she was 'somewhat naive in her acceptance of people and organisations'. She also claimed that Temple was 'aloof' and that she had been accused of 'snobbery' because she doesn't have a good memory for names and faces. Hosmer also claimed that Temple was 'not a deep thinker' and needs a good team around her to function well. Another female Republican advisor who was spoken to says that Temple 'cannot stand the flak of controversy' whilst a second said that she is 'easily directed'. A former district office manager for California Representative Paul McCloskey, whose name has been redacted, says that he had a 'personal like for [her] and felt she was completely sincere in what she does'. Friends: Shirley Temple was a friend of Richard Nixon, who nominated her for the American ambassadorship to the UN, and of J Edgar Hoover, whose agency was asked to investigated her background . Family life: Shirley Temple became a full-time mother to her children (from left) Susan Agar, whose father was her first husband, and Charles Jr and Lori, by her second husband Charles Black (right) Devoted: Shirley Temple and her second husband Charles Black. The files praised their family life and said the manager of their country club 'considers the Blacks to be one of the finest families she has ever known' there. But he also felt that Temple 'did not have the intellectual background for the job she was seeking'. The FBI file is very much a product of its time and calls Temple an 'unemployed housewife except when she worked as an actress'. An account of an interview with the manager of the Menlo Country Club, whose name has been redacted, suggesting she is still alive, said: 'She stated she considers the Blacks to be one of the finest families that she has ever known at the club and described the Black children as very fine, strictly raised children.' A summary document of interviews prepared by FBI agent Donald Kuno reveals that some of those spoken to thought she was 'not outstanding in administrative matters'. The file claims that Temple and FBI director J Edgar Hoover were friends and says that agents were not to conduct neighborhood surveillance on her 'unless the need arises', and only with approval of their superiors at the bureau. Temple was appointed to the post but only held it from September until December 1969. By 1974 Temple was being lined up for the post of US ambassador to Ghana after Secretary of State Henry Kissinger heard her discussing Namibia at a party and was 'surprised that I even knew the word', Temple said in one interview. The FBI carried out more checks on her past and approached future President George H.W. Bush, who was chairman of the Republican National Committee at the time, to give his view of her. The response was that Bush had known Temple through her work at the UN and that he 'knows of no information which could conceivably contract from her good character, associates, reputation, and loyalty'. She got the post, which she held for two years, and was then Gerald Ford's chief of protocol, from July 1976 until January 1977. Temple would later serve as US ambassador to Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992, a role that President Bush awarded to her whilst he was in office. She died last year aged 85 having been married to her second husband Charles Black until his death in 2005. President Bush said at the time that he and his wife were mourning the loss of an 'American icon'. READ THE DOCUMENTS IN FULL BELOW . Shirley Temple FOIA FBI File uploaded by DailyMail.com .
Former child star was nominated for the office by Richard Nixon in 1969 and the FBI was called in to check she was suitable .
File reveals agents went to huge lengths to question those who knew her about her - Republican - political views and those of husband Charles Black .
Her first husband John Agar told agents she was 'untrustworthy' - unlike then-California Governor Reagan who strongly backed her .
Temple died in February 2014 aged 85 and her 417-page FBI file was obtained by Daily Mail Online under Freedom of Information Act rules .