During the period of De-stalination, many cities which were named after Stalin had their names changed, for instance, in 1961, the "hero city" Stalingrad was renamed to Volgograd. In the same year, Stalin's body was removed from its mausoleum in Red Square and reburied. Many of the political prisoners were also released from labour camps, and there was a "thaw" in the development of the cold war. During Khrushchev thaw, the tension of the Cold war was significantly reduced and there was peaceful co-existence between US and USSR.
Thus, it definitely seemed unlikely for any possibility of a Nuclear war during this time period, since the two superpowers existed in peace, but was that the case?
Possibility of nuclear war: very low.
Sources:
History Notes
