SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — In the summer of 1980, Harvey's Resort Hotel and Casino, along the California border in Stateline, Nevada, became the site of the largest domestic bombing in U.S. history. It would continue to hold that distinction for more than a decade, until the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993.

But, unlike later notorious bombings, this was not an act of terrorism, nor an attempt to kill anyone. The bomb was placed in the casino as part of an extortion attempt.

In exchange for $3 million in cash, the bomber promised to give Harvey Gross, the owner of the casino, the instructions to safely disarm and move the bomb out of the casino.

Read the Tribune's three-part series recounting the events below.

A look back at the extortion bombing plot at Harvey's Resort Hotel

John Birges had all the makings of an arch-villain from a James Bond movie: He was a brilliant inventor and businessman with a fondness for betting large sums of money at the blackjack tables; he was a ruthless perfectionist who would not tolerate weakness in those around him, even his own family; he even had an authentic Hungarian accent.

And, like an over-the-top movie antagonist, he would construct an unstoppable doomsday weapon that he planned to use as the centerpiece in an overly complicated plot to extort $3 million from Harvey's Resort Hotel in Stateline.

Missed signals lead to explosive ending

By the time Special Agent Joe Cook landed his FBI helicopter in the Heavenly Valley parking lot, around 11 p.m. on Aug. 26, 1980, it had already been more than 17 hours since a 1,000-pound bomb was found with an extortion note on the second floor of Harvey's Resort Hotel in Stateline.

Trail of clues led authorities to Harvey's casino bombers

The assembled bomb experts were running out of options more than 24 hours after the improvised explosive device had been found on the second floor of Harvey's Resort Hotel in Stateline.

On the Web

http://HarveysBombing.com