HOWEVER..... If an IRA account were to have investments in
>tax exempt securities, and the interest from those securities are
>designated to be paid into a non-IRA account, where they may
>be withdrawn at will, are these proceeds (and not the principle) >still tax exempt ?
No. Any funds coming out of an IRA account are fully taxed (and, possibly, penalized) regardless of the internal source of the funds within the IRA.
Steve