Until the invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 the hunt for communists was not a high priority on the Nazi agenda, because of the signing of the Nazi-Soviet Pact on 23 August 1939.
Prior to the German attack on the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, combating communism was not a major focus for the Nazis, as they had entered into an alliance with the Soviets on August 23, 1939.