During the "war on terror" Black is said to have played a "leading role in many of the more controversial programs, including the rendition and interrogation of al-Qaeda suspects and the detention of some of them in secret prisons [outside the USA." But there has never been any solid factual support for these contentions. Black had resigned from government service in 2004 and entered the private sector before the controversial renditions occurred. Black's legacy is that he created and led the team that successfully counter-attacked Al-Qaeda and the Taliban immediately after 9/11, while concurrently leading the successful implementation of the presidentially approved "Worldwide Attack Matrix," in which the CIA engaged all known Al Qaeda operatives and supporters on a global basis. This full court press may have stopped Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda from implementing any follow-up attacks on the United States if any such attacks had been planned. In addition, Black can be credited with having provided clear early warnings to the president's top advisors on July 10, 2001—two months before 9/11—that a major terrorist attack was imminent, and with having urged that immediate preventive action be taken.